3) The Red Hand
by gmcampey
Summary: Our adventurers meet up with an old acquaintance, and receive an offer of work with promise of an old stash of treasure. But will it really be that simple?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

This story follows our adventures through the 3.5 supplement The Red Hand of Doom. The PDF is available open source if you want to have a look for it (it's already quite well-known). It is the third story in this series: please see _The Sleeping Cleric_ , and _Eisenmond_ first if you haven't yet read them. This story will be **much** longer than the other two, probably weighing in at around fifty chapters by the end. The chapters themselves will mostly be longer as well (probably by about a thousand words each, on average).

We had all levelled to 5 before starting this campaign, without any major deviations from the norm. I made one permitted change to Elantar, swapping out proficiency with Hand Crossbows for proficiency with Shuriken. I didn't really like the HCb, and having to carry around ammo for it was a bit of a pain. With all the Alchemist's Fire, Flasks of Acid and Thunderstones that we found in the previous adventure, I decided to go more for thrown weapons at range with her. Shuriken may only be D2 damage, but I'd only be looking for a Sneak Attack Damage delivery system anyway.

James wanted to make more of Boshley's connection to Badgers; he had been riding a Pony called Gerald to get to our first adventure, but switched this out in favour of a Dire Badger, which he would later take mounted-combat related feats for. As Gerald hadn't been specifically mentioned in the first story (nor anyone else's mounts for that matter), there wasn't any going back over that needed doing; I'll simply begin to drop reference to any significant creatures like this, and Taldir's familiar, as they become important.

Kim (Coralyn) had a crack at D&D, but didn't enjoy it all that much – she stuck around for a session or two into this story arc (probably up until we actually reached Drellin's Ferry) before calling it a day. We kept Coralyn around for a while until we could take her out of the story at a suitable point. It was very useful to still have a walking first aid kit around…

Here begins 'The Red Hand'…

 **The Red Hand**

 _Prologue_

"This village is not the power it once was…" The Cleric stated, wincing, as if he hated to admit the fact. He stood hastily, knocking his stool over in the process. "We're running out of time!" he exclaimed with panic.

Sellyria Starsinger closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She knew that Illian's observation was correct, and that her community was isolated and in desperate need of help. She also knew Illian well enough to know that letting him finish would make it easier in the long run.

"Jaarmath has always been so short-sighted," he continued to vent as he paced the room. "Brindol will fall just as easily!" The Mayor's letter – a response to their warning and request for aid – swung from his clenched fist. He assumed a mocking voice, and read an extract aloud again.

" _We cannot, in all conscience, provide aid to your constant imagined threats. Regiarix is long defeated and knows that any attempts to enter the Vale will result in his doom. His fear of me outstrips all ambition or notions of greatness. Let him rot in the ruins of Rhest!"_

"Fool!" Illian bellowed, and hurled the note into the flames of his hearth. He continued to pace the hut, snarling and balling his fists. Sellyria waited. When the Cleric returned to his seat, she finally spoke up.

"There are others; Brindol is not the only home of fighters in the Vale."  
"You know that Dennovar have already refused aid!" he snapped. "Would you have us beg the Dwarfs?"  
"Never!" she responded, with genuine conviction. "But still, there are others: less official; less professional… but still others who'd get the job done."  
"Go on…"  
"Kerden Jaarmath was young when he chased the Wyrm off first time, and was rightly hailed as a hero. He's past it now, of course, but he's still an inspiration. There are hundreds in the Vale looking to make a name for themselves. We find some, and bring them here." Illian nodded in agreement.  
"That won't be easy… But it could work, Sellyria." He paused, and eyed her sternly.  
"What is it?" she asked. He nodded, and poked out his tongue slightly. It was an odd quirk, but she knew he did this when he was concentrating hard and piecing fate-lines together.  
"There are several possibilities opening up, "he ventured. "I've seen a few paths that could converge here. I never related them to the Dragon before…"  
"The girl who's dreams you keep toying with?"  
"She's one," he answered. "The Vale will need her when the invasion comes, whatever happens with the Wyrm."  
"So why have you been pushing her north?"  
"It's unclear as yet… but the invasion is still a few months off, and she's stubborn. Or perhaps too timid to venture out yet… She's young, foolish and only  
Human, after all."  
"Who else?"  
"I don't know," he answered bitterly. "Not all of them. Not specifically." He eyed her sternly and weighed his next words. "But I know who you need to send."  
"Send? Where? For what?"  
"To Dennovar. For recruitment."  
"You're right," she nodded slowly. "It'll be risky to be without him for a time, but Fibônir is perfectly suited to this task."  
"Not Fibônir…"  
"Ceraléth?" Sellyria guessed. "She's too valuable to risk like this… and the town may need her!" The Cleric shook his head.  
"No… there's one we can afford to let go; he needs to redeem himself…"  
She knew exactly who Illian was describing.  
"I really don't think that's a good idea… He's not ready to re-enter the wider world. And he's the last person we need to be sending to broker an alliance. You know he doesn't relate well to outsiders since his last experience… and you've heard the rumours."  
"He wouldn't be the first from this village to father and then abandon a child… I don't believe it anyway…" Illian stated dismissively. "And it's irrelevant in any case. You know how resourceful he claims to be; he'll have to improvise… We need him again." She shook her head.  
"We need him." The Cleric fixed her gaze firmly.  
Sellyria sat in silence. She said nothing for a few minutes and considered her options.  
"Sellyria? This needs to be done," Illain finally said.  
"I know." She stood and breathed heavily. "I'll go and speak to him now. He's been hinting at wanting to leave again. I imagine he'll be happy to set out tomorrow… That might be too soon even… My point is, I don't think he'll take much convincing."

She left the Cleric's tent and strolled slowly across the public space. The nightly fire was lit, and the citizens were beginning to gather; there would be songs late into the night to accompany the annual feast to Elhonna, and the town had been preparing for weeks. The night would be a fitting send off for him.  
Sellyria found her son with the few friends he kept close, taking in wine at the Tavern.  
"Eldarion? We need to talk…"

 *** I ***

 _Elsir Vale, three months later._

Buttercup was looking very pleased with herself. She rose majestically from the rock where she had been sitting and cleared her throat. As she watched her from the cover of the trees, Elantar reflected that, were she to compile a list of things that she was expecting Buttercup to do next, this would never have been one of them.

" _Flowrs R purty_ _  
_ _Sunshyn is nice_ _  
_ _Downt kill juss fir killin_ _  
_ _Bean nice is nice."_

She giggled as she finished and broke into a huge grin that stretched across her face. Elantar, confused, and looked on in stunned silence.

"Buttercup?" Gravak called as he approached the clearing. "We're moving on now." He spoke Orcish, but Elantar had improved her use of the language in recent weeks and, with Gravak's assistance, was learning fast. The Barbarian gathered her pack and made ready to leave.  
"Have you seen Elantar?" he continued. "She came this way looking for you." Buttercup shook her head and took a final glance around the clearing. Elantar retreated from her position, slipping silently back through the undergrowth to take a more direct route back to their campsite.

The party had been travelling west for three days now, heading for the remote town of Drellin's Ferry, the last settlement before the ruins of Vraath Keep. They had left Brindol that morning in good spirits; settlements along the Dawn Way were spaced more-or-less a day's travel apart and they were able to sleep securely in warm, comfortable inns each night, and begin and end each day with a good meal.

The Vale was opening up around them as they travelled. The Dawn Way ran through the southern valley side of the Elsir and the river itself came close to the road where they had stopped for the midday rest; several of the party had made towards it for refreshment. It was Taldir who was usually most impatient during these halts, and Boshley who seemed to enjoy them the most, taking the opportunity to bond more closely with Boaz, his Dire Badger. The creature was the Gnome's mount, but it seemed to Elantar as if it was also his closest friend.

Buttercup had been spending as much time alone as she could, and Elantar was determined to find out why. When her and Gravak split up to look for her before they moved on, she'd snuck up on the Half-Orc and eavesdropped. "Poetry?" she whispered aloud to herself incredulously before she approached the waiting party.

"Why are you alone?" Taldir demanded. "If she doesn't come back within the next five minutes, you can all wait for her without me!"  
"Take it easy Taldir…" Taran announced. "There's really no rush; we're not going any further than Talar today, and that's only another couple of hours or so further. We've got plenty of time."  
"Time!" he growled in response. "He speaks of time…" the Wizard muttered to himself as he turned away in disgust. Taldir had taken a Raven Familiar in Brindol, and the bird descended to perch on his outstretched arm. Elantar watched him walk away with it.

"Don't mind him Taran," Arden offered. "It's a Tuesday. He's never really got the hang of those. Wednesdays are bad too. Have you seen him on a Sunday yet? Come to think of it, just don't talk to him. Unless of course, you start to feel concerned that you're getting a bit arrogant, and want reassurance."  
"Such a way with words!" Coralyn laughed with her. "If that made any sense, I'd probably agree…" she added. Her and Arden had become good friends over the past few days. Arden was pleased to have around what she referred to as ' _decent female company_ ' when she thought Elantar couldn't hear.

"Poetry?" she whispered again.  
"Poetry?" Boshley asked, as Elantar snapped to sudden attention. "What about it?"  
"Erm… never mind," she responded. "Here they come," she announced as the Orcs returned. Buttercup was still looking very chirpy, but Gravak wore a dumb-struck look of confusion.

* * *

 _Dennovar, four days earlier._

"You'd never know it had ever been missing!" Arden exclaimed excitedly. Taran brandished his new hand and grinned.  
"I'd been trying to tell you how powerful Nethril was. I don't know why I didn't think of it before; all those weeks spent trying to accept being without it, and he grows it back in seconds."

Taran joined them at the table. Apart from Boshley, who was busy getting to know some of the locals at the bar, the whole party had assembled to hear what Taran Goldstar had to say. They had spent the last couple of weeks in Dennovar after an uneventful journey back from Torlynn in the north, where they had gone originally to find and rescue the Apprentice Wizard. They had returned with Taran, and a decent fortune besides.

"So…" Taran began, pausing to sip from his wine cup. "I'm coming to you with this because I've learned not to go off exploring old ruins by myself, and I know that you can handle yourselves. I feel like there can be some trust between us. Besides, this undertaking could benefit us all." They all waited expectantly for him to continue, but instead he said: "shouldn't the Gnome be over here too?"  
"He'll toe the line," Taldir declared. "He cares little for discussions like this. He'd be much happier if we left him to drink and filled him in tomorrow."  
"Still," Taran responded, "If he's to be a part of this, I want him to know where we're going and what we could be heading for. I don't want another repeat of what happened with that… What was his name?"  
"Eldarion…" Arden answered, screwing her face up as if the name bought an uncomfortable taste.  
"That's right. I for one could be risking a lot going on this journey; I don't want any gains snatched away by the greed of one... I want everyone in on this discussion; anyone not at this table doesn't come, as far as I'm concerned."

"Bosh!" Arden called. A few voices fell quiet as they turned to see what the disturbance was.  
"Bosh!" she repeated a little louder. The Gnome remained undisrupted and continued talking to a couple at the bar who were laughing along to what he was saying.  
"Bosh!" she tried again, even louder; Coralyn joining her this time. By now, the whole room had fallen silent, and the Gnome heard the call.  
"What?" he shouted back. Arden beckoned him over, and he dropped from his stall and stomped across the room.  
"You need to be here," Arden said as he reached the table and the background chatter started up again. "Taran has a job offer for us."  
"Ugh…" he gestured, taking a seat. "More historical scrolls? I'm not really interested…"  
"No, not at all," the Wizard answered. "Well… a bit." He paused as he sipped from his wine cup and cleared his throat.

"The ancient family of Vraath," he began, "abandoned their fortress on the western borders of the Wychwood several decades ago."  
"Why?" Arden asked.  
"They had some problems with Forest Giants, I believe. The details are uncertain… anyway, that's not important."  
"Not important? It'd be good to know what we're heading towards, Apprentice," Taldir countered.  
"Whatever chased them from their home is long gone; dead or otherwise departed," Taran continued. "The strongest evidence does seem to support the Forest Giant theory."

"Where is all this leading?" Arden pressed. "It _is_ leading somewhere, isn't it?"  
"Indeed," the Wizard said with a grin. He dropped his voice and leant closer into the table. "The Vraath family had considerable fortune; a fortune which has never been found. My research seems to suggest a secret room beneath the keep, where they locked away their treasures. It is claimed that nobody has ever found this room."  
"Where did you learn all of this?" Gravak demanded.  
"There was much interesting information amongst the scrolls we liberated from Demara's Fortress. Eldrann and I have spent considerable time extracting what we could, cross-referencing everything we could find on the Vraath. All evidence suggests that their fortune lies unclaimed in this hidden room.

"Now, as you all know, my last attempts at uncovering a secret hoard did not go at all well, and that's where you all come in. I'm not going to hide the fact that I can't do this without help and I'd rather work with a group that I know I can work with. Nethril has people, of course… But they're his people."  
"And we're your people, are we?" Elantar asked threateningly. Taran shook his head with a frown.  
"It's not like that… I'm proposing a mutually beneficial arrangement; I do not wish to employ you or lead you, simply to offer you the opportunity to go and explore a ruined fortress that should contain a considerable fortune. The only catch is that I want to come along and share in the spoils."  
"The only catch? Are you sure?" Arden asked.  
"Well, OK…" he responded, "one more, but I'm convinced you'll agree to it."  
"Let's hear it then," Arden added.  
"My terms are very generous; I lay claim to any and all documents of historical interest, and an equal share in any treasure found. You all claim an equal share in the treasure, and I'll come along with you as a guide and companion. I know the whereabouts of the keep, and have contacts in all of the towns along the Dawn Way; the local knowledge will benefit us all."  
"Sounds very reasonable to me," Arden answered. "Any objections?" Nobody had any.

"Good!" Taran exclaimed. "We can expect to be gone no more than three weeks or so; probably not as long as that. It's a seven-day ride to Drellin's Ferry, the last settlement westward-bound on the Dawn Way, and another day or so to Vraath Keep. When can you be ready to leave?"  
"The day after tomorrow?" Gravak suggested. Everybody assented, and the departure was set.  
"Be ready to leave at sunrise," Taran said. "I need to report back to my Master, tell him that you're on board and how long we should be gone. Enjoy the rest of your evening!" he exclaimed with a wave and was gone.  
"Well…" Arden began, "should be fun. The open road, a rumoured ancient treasure hoard… What could go wrong?"


	2. Chapter 2

*** II ***

 _East of Drellin's Ferry, one week later_.

The gloom was beginning to creep in around them. This was their final march west before they'd turn north to approach Vraath Keep, and today had been one of the longest. They had left Terrelton at sunrise, and according to Taran were still over an hour short of Drellin's Ferry, the final town on the westward journey.

Elantar stopped abruptly and raised her hand for silence. When she didn't get it, which, as usual, was down to Boshley, she had to turn and hiss for silence instead. She'd been travelling slightly ahead of the main party, and Taldir now moved to make up the ground, closely followed by Taran and Gravak. She waved them into a crouch at the side of the road.

"We definitely have company," she explained. "The tree lines up on the ridge, both sides of the road."  
"Keen eyes, Elantar," Taran whispered. "I would have missed those and lead us straight into a trap," he nodded with affirmation.  
"Wait here," was her only response.

She retreated to where the rest of the party had halted and announced the situation. "Six or seven unknowns up on the ridges ahead," she said gesturing to both sides.  
"No idea who they are?" Boshley asked.  
"They're bigger than you," she responded. "Smaller than Gravak. They're wearing armour, probably heavy. I caught a glint of moonlight that gave them away."

Quietly as they could all manage, they re-joined Gravak and the two Wizards, who had been discussing strategy in hushed tones.  
"Sleep will do it," Taran said, sounding like he and Taldir had reached an agreement. "Let's go," he added.

Gravak hefted his mace, and began to tackle the steep slope to the right. Elantar broke left as the others began to draw weapons, some making a lot more noise than others. Very soon, it became apparent that they had been spotted as the would-be ambushers readied weapons, one of them retreating on the far right, perhaps to summon reinforcements.

Elantar reached the top of the hill and began stalking towards the nearest enemy, whose attention was fixed on the road below. As she neared, she could finally make out what they were; Hobgoblins, all heavily built and wearing thick, well-made armour. She moved to within a few feet of the first of three of them on the ridge, and began immediately to feel exposed; nobody had followed her this way, and she was most definitely outmatched. She halted to reconsider her position, ducking behind a small bush and grateful that she hadn't yet been noticed, when the three Hobgoblins suddenly slumped to the ground. Looking back into the gulley, she saw Taldir throw her a salute as Taran achieved a similar effect on the opposite side. She wasted no time in efficiently dispatching the first Hobgoblin, severing its jugular and spilling the life from it.

Boshley had reached the top of the steep slope on the opposite side, and had begun to make for two huge Wolves that had appeared on their right flank. Squinting into the darkness, she could make out a bow-armed Goblin riding each one. Coralyn and Arden had both been targeted by their arrows, and were quickly approaching Taran and Taldir in response to the latter's wild gesticulations. The Grey Elf grinned before a swift hand gesture and a clipped word made the four of them disappear from view.

Gravak had also struggled to the top of the opposite slope and made his way towards the nearest Hobgoblin, who was still on his feet. Taran's sleep spell had clearly not been quite as effective as the one that targeted the enemy on her flank. Buttercup joined him soon after, but the Hobgoblin held firm, determined to fight them both off.

A horn sounded further along the road, and the suspected reinforcements approached in a rigid phalanx. The enemy appeared not only to be well equipped, but also well drilled. They began to march along the road towards where Arden was suddenly standing alone and exposed. Whatever spell Taldir had cast to make them disappear had clearly stopped working on the Bard. Elantar began to reach for a fire flask to throw at the newcomers, but paused at a gesture from Arden, who lit a smoke stick and threw it forwards to cover the path. Elantar, reading her intentions, instead dug in her pack and removed a Caltrops sack that she had picked up in Dennovar, deploying it in order to trap anyone foolish enough to approach blindly through the smoke.

Arden retreated up the far side of the ditch, and took down her bow to help out Boshley, who had just slain the first of the two Dire Wolves. Elantar continued dispatching the sleeping Hobgoblins, ensuring that the second on her side of the ridge would not wake up.

The Orcs had finally bought low the lone Hobgoblin who had stood defiantly before them; it seemed to have fought well, and had left Buttercup with a serious wound. Coralyn was very suddenly there beside her, laying a hand on her bloody shoulder and chanting in a low voice. There was still no sign of either of the Wizards.

Cautiously, the enemy reinforcements continued to approach along the road. They were still a fair distance from the smoke when Gravak began to bellow something incoherent, gesturing at the approaching enemy. One at a time, two skeletons appeared and towered over the approaching Hobgoblins, who found themselves suddenly beset by the Cleric's summoned minions. As they began to fight off the phalanx, Gravak looked nervously around at his companions, as if wary of their response. Coralyn had finished with Buttercup's wound, and looked sidelong at him with an expression that betrayed either shock or fear.

Clearly feeling invigorated, Buttercup barrelled down the slope, crashing into the Hobgoblin shield wall and set about them with her axe. Elantar, taking this as a cue to spring into action, leapt forwards to outflank the enemy. Skipping over the last sleeping Hobgoblin for now, she took out a flask of Alchemist's Fire and launched it, attempting to take the enemy by surprise and disrupt their formation. With a crack, the flask smashed open on a breastplate and coated three of them with liquid, which quickly ignited and caused them to flap at the engulfing flame.

The two Wizards finally reappeared, both directly opposite her, in line with the fight raging below. They both raised their hands, sending bright purple light into the formation, bringing one of them low. The formation began to break apart as a second, and then a third Hobgoblin fell to the blows of Gravak's skeletons and Buttercup's axe. The three fighters moved in amongst them as the Cleric himself joined the fight, engaging the one furthest from Elantar's vantage point. Two of the Hobgoblins, armoured much lighter than the others, seemed to be fighting with greater skill and protecting an older Hobgoblin wearing faded brown robes. Some of their moves reminded Elantar of her own techniques; particularly the way that they were trying to confuse and outflank their prey, and also in the fact that they both fought with a pair of swords. One of them danced in behind one of the giant skeletons and swung a sword in a vicious arc which sliced clean through its backbone, causing it to first clatter to the floor, and then collapse into dust that blew away on the breeze. The pair then manoeuvred to attempt the same move on Buttercup, and Elantar sprang into action.

She moved quickly down the steep gulley side, approaching the nearest of the two from behind as silently as she could manage at speed. Buttercup caught him with the blunt of her axe, causing his head to snap back with his nose bloodied. He growled and raised his swords in a gesture of vengeance. Elantar quietly slipped her right sword under his arm, through a gap in his armour and pushed until it would go no further. It crashed to the ground unmoving, and she levered the corpse from her blade, holding the body firm with her foot.

The enemy had been whittled down to two Hobgoblin fighters, what appeared to be their elderly leader and the last of his two bodyguards. Gravak seemed to be engaging in some sort of battle of wills with the enemy, whilst bow fire rained down sporadically from the ridge.

"Beat it, Orc!" the enemy leader suddenly bellowed, holding some sort of symbol aloft in Gravak's direction. He appeared to be some sort of Cleric, and looked around with concern as his quickly diminishing allies. "Yoo mite get me, but Tiamat'll see ya burned!" he threatened.

Boshley, riding his giant badger, reached the top of the hill, having presumably finished off the Dire Wolves and their riders. He dismounted, and slid clumsily down the hill with his sword raised, joining her and Buttercup, who had just dispatched another Hobgoblin, in the melee.

The final Hobgoblin with two swords was whirling his blades, trying to break down Buttercup's defences. The Orc was laughing as she blocked each attack, clearly enjoying herself. Elantar stepped in behind and made her own attack on the enemy, cutting deep into his side and causing him to howl in pain. Buttercup wasted no time in taking off his head as Gravak approached the enemy leader.

A bolt stuck into the neck of the final Hobgoblin fighter, bringing a short clipped cheer from Coralyn on top of the ridge, who looked on proudly and reloaded her longbow as it howled in pain. Boshley quickly finished it off before turning his attention to the last remaining enemy. Gravak was swinging his mace at him, but he was far more agile than he looked, and avoided his blows.

"Take him for questioning!" Arden shouted. "We should find out what they're doing here!" She could be right; a well-organised and equipped Hobgoblin patrol this deep in the Vale was potentially quite concerning… Elantar didn't imagine there was that much to it though.

"Ha! Ya won't take me alive!" he answered defiantly, raising his arms before dropping them. The whole party reeled for a second, seeming to be struck concussively by the air. They were not deterred for long though, and Buttercup joined Boshley and Gravak in closing him down, attempting to wrestle him to the ground.

"Hold still Cleric!" Gravak demanded, struggling to lay hands on him. He skipped aside, dodging a grab from Buttercup, and jumped right into Elantar's path. She wasn't in the mood for chasing him down and instead slid a sword into his back and through his heart.

"What happened to taking him alive for questioning?!" Arden screamed.  
"He wasn't making it easy," Elantar answered, using the Cleric's robe to clean his filthy blood from her sword. "He wouldn't have given information up easily either. Were you going to torture him?"  
"We could have found a way," Gravak said gruffly.  
"It doesn't matter anyway," Elantar answered. "There's still one asleep on top of the ridge up there; question him."  
"He won't move for a while yet," Taran claimed. "We have time to examine the dead."  
"Err… Gravak?" Coralyn asked nervously. "This skeleton…"  
"Oh… of course," the Cleric answered. He spoke a single word, and it crashed to the ground in a shower of dust.  
"Good work Cleric," Taldir added, sounding, unbelievably, impressed. "They really tipped the balance in the fight."  
"Owlbear skeletons," he announced, accepting the praise. He glanced nervously around at the rest of the party, and received uneasy looks back from Boshley, Coralyn, Taran and Arden. Elantar was with Taldir; whatever helped to win the fight was worth using. They split up to explore the battlefield, and Gravak looked relieved that there'd be no further questions, at least for now.

The party quickly gathered up the enemy equipment, and found it to be as well made as they'd first thought. Each carried healing potions concealed in pouches as well as their masterwork weapons and armour. Every piece of armour was emblazoned with the same symbol: a single red hand.

Taran and Arden, not far from where Elantar was examining two Hobgoblin corpses, found some dead human bodies.  
"Locals…" Arden said with dismay. "A farmer and his family?"  
"Probably," Taran answered. "What were Hobgoblins doing in the Vale? This doesn't bode at all well…"  
"We'll find out soon enough," the Bard answered. "I get the feeling that that Cleric could have told us more than the one we've got though. If only Elantar had _thought_ first…"  
"I can hear you, you know," the Rogue cut in. "I doubt there's much to it; Hobgoblins raid in small groups all the time. These could well have been the only ones in the Vale, and this family their only victims."  
"Well… we'll see." Arden didn't sound at all convinced, and Taran looked to agree with her.  
"Taldir found some scrolls on the old one anyway. They're written in Goblin and he's translating them now. They might tell us all that you wanted."

The three re-joined the rest of the party, where Taldir was announcing his findings.  
"Any news on them?" Arden asked.  
"No," he answered. "They're all bound spells. A couple of healing, one of flight, one of mount, and this one," he added, holding the final one up. "A scroll of sending; very useful for carrying messages over long distances."  
"So no information on what they were doing here?" Arden asked, casting an irritable glance at Elantar.  
"Not a thing," Taldir responded.  
"Which, to me," said Elantar, "suggests no real plan. They're probably just looking to pick off a few villagers and steal what's lightly guarded."  
"I don't know…" Gravak replied. "They seemed far too well organised for that, and very well equipped. I'd wager that something far bigger is going on."  
"Let's wake up this prisoner and find out," Arden suggested.

Nobody spoke again until they stood over the sleeping Hobgoblin.  
"Putting the sentries to sleep really helped this fight go easier," Gravak said with a nod to the Wizards.  
"Well, you know…" Taran responded, "it was nothing much!" Taldir looked indifferently at what he clearly considered to be an inferior example of the craft and said nothing.

"Elantar?" Coralyn called, holding out a pair of swords to her. "We found these on the enemy, can you use them? There's an enchantment on them."  
"Where did they come from?" she asked.  
"Those two," she gestured, pointing out the two Hobgoblin Rogues that were guarding the Cleric.  
"I'll think about it…" Elantar answered. She took one and weighed it, giving it a couple of swings for good measure. She took the other, and did the same. They were excellent weapons, there was no doubt. "My own swords mean a great deal to me; I'd be reluctant to use anything else. Can I hold onto them while I decide?"  
"I don't believe anyone else has any use for short swords," Boshley observed. "You may as well."  
"What makes your own swords so special?" Arden asked her. Elantar looked back at her and squirmed.  
"Perhaps later…" she answered.

"How long should the spell last?" Elantar quickly added, keen to move the conversation on. "Should we _make_ him wake up?"  
"It's been what… ten minutes, would you say?" Taran asked Taldir. It had felt like longer than that. So much happened in the heat of combat that time seemed to slow.  
"Almost," Taldir answered. "I'd say we have ten…"  
"Ten what?" Coralyn answered. Taldir had his eyes closed and waited a few more seconds.  
"Five," he continued, "four… three… two… one."

Slowly, the Hobgoblin opened his eyes, took in his surroundings, saw the scattered corpses of his comrades and the adventurers standing over him, and remained very still.  
"Hi!" Arden said in greeting. She received a furious low grumble in response. The prisoner made a sudden attempt to roll away, and was very quickly flattened by Buttercup, who ensured that he couldn't move anywhere.  
"We're going to have a little talk…" Arden said, almost threateningly. "Buttercup, let him stand?"  
The Barbarian hoisted the confused Hobgoblin to his feet, and looked nervously at the Bard, perhaps wondering what she could possibly do to make him talk. Arden approached, and reached a hand towards his head.  
"Kha'thlua!" she exclaimed as her hand made contact. The prisoner's head snapped back as if struck by a heavy weight, and slowly rolled forwards. He seemed more relaxed, and then smiled as he looked at Arden.

"Feeling better?" she asked.  
"Yeah! Fanks!" the prisoner responded. "Good ta see yer agen," he added, somewhat unexpectedly. "How've ya bin?"  
"Oh, you know," Arden responded with practiced ease, "so-so… It's _very_ strange seeing you in these parts though. What brings you and your boys here?"  
"A-ha!" he exclaimed, and looked around for his friends. "Oi!" he added, "yoo killed'em all!"  
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that," Arden responded sympathetically. "You know how you Hobgoblins can be though; fight first, ask questions later? Didn't give us much choice…"  
"Look, err…" the prisoner began confused. "Uhm… wot? Woss yor name ergenn?"  
"Arden," she answered.  
"Das it! How'd I forget dat? Anyway, Arden; yoor awite, but dese mates er yoors: I ain't too keen on 'em."  
"Oh, come on… err…"  
"Kritch."  
"Kritch! That was it," she responded. "Something in the water around here?" the two of them laughed. Coralyn was doing her level best not to, but couldn't quite keep it in. The rest of the party remained silent and some of them looked very confused.  
"You know me from years back," Arden continued. "The fall of Rhest, remember?"  
"Yeah!" Kritch replied. "'Appy days, doze were."  
"Don't worry about this lot," she reassured him. "They love me almost as much as you do."  
"Awite…" he agreed reluctantly.

"So," Arden continued, "you were saying?"  
"Oh yeah! Well, we're a patrol, ain't we? Dere's loads of us in da Wychwood. We're preparin' for da invashun!"  
"Invasion!" Taran exclaimed with panic, and snapped round to look at Elantar.  
"Ere!" Kritch yelled. "Tell 'im to keep 'is pointy 'at on!"  
"Calm it Taran!" she ordered. "Keep your pointy 'at on," she added in perfect mimicry of the prisoner, and the two shared another laugh.  
"Yeah… we're Da Red 'And and we're invadin', ain't we?" Kritch added. "Azzar-Kul, Tiamat's chosun wun 'as united da clans," he announced with a grin.  
"I've missed out on _a lot_!" Arden declared, somehow managing to keep calm in the face of this news. "Am I too late? When does it start?"  
"S'already begun, ain't it?" the prisoner answered, "but dere's time yet. Da main 'orde won't be 'ere fer a while. I dunno when; Zarr was a bit precious wiv da details, but I knows where's first."  
"Where?" Taran asked, clearly panicked.  
"Ere!" He bellowed back, "I ain't talkin' ta yoo!"  
"Never mind him," Arden interrupted, "where's first?"  
"Drellin's Ferry!" he replied. "It's gonna be great! De're all coming, we're gonna conka da Vale! Drellin's Ferry's where it starts!"  
"We need to warn them," Taran turned quietly to his comrades and declared. Nobody objected except Kritch.  
"Nah! Dat'll ruin da plan!" he declared. "Arden, where'd you find this lot?"  
"I reckon they could be onto something," she replied. "Think about it; you want a decent fight, don't you? It's no fun if they're not ready."  
"Yeah… Yeah!" he agreed. "Come on, let's let 'em know. Make sure dey give us a good scrap!"  
"Lead on!" Arden invited.

He shook himself to attention and began to march off westward. Buttercup and Gravak followed closely behind with Taran, who was holding the prisoner's confiscated weapon. The rest slowly began to join them and headed up the road.

"Good use of the charm spell, Arden" Taldir said, making it clear to everybody that he understood perfectly what was happening. "Of course, I'd have done it a bit better…"  
"How's that then?" she snapped. "We got the information, didn't we?"  
"Yes, but…"  
"That's all we wanted. It would have been no use him being charmed by you; you'd have reversed it the second you began speaking!" Coralyn and Boshley began to chuckle, and Elantar, forgetting herself for a moment, joined in. Taldir simply muttered something under his breath and stalked off towards Taran and the Orcs. Elantar quickened her own pace and went after them.

"Dunno why ya don't speak Orc," Buttercup was saying to the prisoner. "Yor jus' like little Orcs, ain't ya?"  
"You wot?" he responded angrily. "Listen," he added, "I ain't gonna take none o'that from yoo! Ere! Whe's me sword?"  
"You're not getting it back," Gravak said sternly.  
"No? Wossit ta yoo?" he asked menacingly. Elantar turned to gesture to Arden, but found she was already hurrying to catch up. Kritch made to take a swing at Gravak, but Taran stepped in between. Buttercup quickly grasped Kritch's wrist and held it firm.  
"Gerroff!" he shouted. Buttercup turned him to face her.  
"We can be friends, ya know," she announced.  
"Wot? Wiv yoo!" the prisoner laughed raucously as Arden arrived.  
"Alright Kritch?" she asked. "Buttercup's okay; the two of you might get on."  
"Yeah?" he wondered sceptically, "I dunno… Wot can ya do?" She stopped, and lowered her pack to the floor.  
"Dis is a little wun I've bin workin' on," she said, and cleared her throat.

" _Nevva sor meddows lyk  
_ _Pilchad's innuds  
_ ' _Til dat mornin' wen da flowuz bloomed._

" _Nevva knew beez wot  
_ _Flapped dere wings  
_ ' _Til dat mornin' wen I ate all da hunny_

" _Nevva sor bunnies wot  
_ _Ate a goat  
_ ' _Til dat mornin' wen da flowuz woz gone."_

Nobody spoke for a few seconds, just looked on aghast.  
"Err," Kritch began, "no fanks, less not be friends, awrite?"

They carried on westward, Buttercup continuing to harass the prisoner all the way back to Drellin's Ferry. Elantar, having no desire to hear any more of her poetry, kept well away.


	3. Chapter 3

*** III ***

"Two guards on the road," Elantar announced as they came within sight of Drellin's Ferry. There was no wall protecting the town; not even a palisade. When the invasion hit, this settlement wouldn't stand a chance.  
"They always post sentries after night-fall," Taran answered. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "I know one of them; we got on well last time I was here; leave them to me."

The party approached the sentries, who, alert to their presence, lowered their spears across the road to bar the way. Not long after they'd left the site of the earlier battle, Arden's spell on the prisoner had worn off, and he had since become hostile towards her as well. The party, despite Buttercup's objections, had bound and gagged him: Gravak led him on a short leash.

"Karson!" Taran announced, and one of them lowered his weapon slightly, peering back at them.  
"Taran?" he asked into the gloom. "Taran Goldstar!" he announced with recognition, and put up his spear, gesturing for his companion to do the same. He offered his right hand to shake the Wizard's as the party reached their position. "It's good to see you again," he added. "It must have been… how long?"  
"Almost two years since I last came this way," Taran answered. "It's good to see you too."  
"Looks like you're keeping some strange company," the other spoke. "Taran, was it?"  
"That's right," he responded and took his hand.  
"I'm Orson," he said in introduction. "Karson has spoken highly of you before."  
"So he should!" Taran answered lightly. "Forgive me; introductions would definitely be in order, but we carry urgent news and need to speak with Wiston. Is Montorio still Captain of the Guards?"  
"No," Karson answered, "he retired a few months ago. Soranna Anitah has the command now."  
"Soranna?" Taran asked. "Good choice! Unorthodox, but… Yes, anyway, she'll need to hear this too. Can you get a message to her as well?"  
"Of course…" Karson responded cautiously. "Anything we should know about?"

"We have a prisoner," Gravak announced, dragging Kritch forward into the torch light.  
"Hobgoblins!" Orson hissed. "We've heard rumours of them in the Wychwood," he spat.  
"This one was in a patrol about a dozen strong," Arden added. "We believe there are a lot more coming."  
"The rest of this patrol?" Karson asked.  
"Dead," Elantar declared, glancing upwards.  
"I see…" Karson replied.

"I'll send up Mitchell," he added, turning to Orson. "The rest of you, follow me. Taran; you're vouching for all of them," he added. It wasn't a question. "I'm not overly fond of half-Orcs," he announced, fixing Gravak, and then Buttercup with a glare. "If you care any for Taran, you won't cause trouble here," he added.

* * *

"An invasion?! Well, that certainly sounds… far-fetched." Norro Wiston had looked nervy since the moment they had walked in.  
"Sir! We need to take this threat seriously!" Soranna demanded. Elantar was far more impressed with her: she didn't seem like one to be easily overwhelmed. On first judgement, Drellin's Ferry was lucky to have her.  
"Captain, I can't possibly believe these strangers and their tales of impending danger," the Speaker answered.  
"Norro?" Taldir asked. "You've known me a few years now, and Nethril far longer than that. This is the truth; the prisoner gave up information under a charm spell when he had no desire to lie. Drellin's Ferry… The entire Vale, in fact, is in serious danger."

"What do you suggest we do?" Wiston asked the room. He seemed to have shrunk somewhat over the past few minutes.  
"We need more information," Soranna demanded. "This isn't enough to go on. Do we know how many?"  
"No," answered Arden.  
"When it's going to happen?" Soranna pressed.  
"No…" Taran responded. "Only that the patrol we came across were an advance party, and that we don't have long."

"Do we know what they want, exactly?" Wiston asked. Nobody answered for a few seconds, until Buttercup spoke up.  
"Kritch sed dat dey want all da land. Dere sick of da mowntins were nuffin grows."  
"The whole bloody Vale!?" Wiston was furious. "I can't believe that… There's no way that they'll have stopped fighting amongst themselves long enough to cause a threat to the whole Vale," he added adamantly.  
"It sounds like they have a charismatic leader," Arden announced, in a tone that suggested ' _a bit like me_ '. "The prisoner named him; Azzar Kul?"  
"Doesn't sound familiar… Or likely, for that matter," Wiston responded.

"Whether they have or not doesn't lessen the threat to Drellin's Ferry at all," Soranna observed, keeping focused on the immediate threat. "We need to find out how long we've got, and prepare to defend the town."  
"How?" Taldir asked. "I couldn't help notice that you have no wall. A huge oversight, if you ask me…"  
"The river's our best defence," she answered assertively. "There's no bridge since the old Dwarf structure collapsed." Taldir grunted in contempt and muttered in Elvish.  
"We speak the common tongue in this town Elf," Wiston demanded. "If you have something to say, see that we can all understand it."  
"He said that a Grey Elf bridge would have stood until the sun burned out," Elantar translated. "How many people live on the west bank of the river?" she asked, keen to change the subject.  
"A few hundred…" Soranna answered. "We can call them all across if we have to, but most of them won't like it."  
"I wouldn't expect any of them to like it," Arden answered, "but it needs to be done. How many do you have in the town watch?"  
"We can muster around one hundred and twenty if we call everyone in," she answered. "A lot of the citizens will fight too, but we're poorly equipped outside of the watch."

"It's only a small help," Gravak offered, "but the Hobgoblins' equipment is of good quality. We bought it with us, but none of us want what's left, we've already taken what we can use."  
"It is gratefully received," Soranna responded with a nod.

"What is our next move?" Wiston asked his captain.  
"Information gathering," she answered. "I'll assemble a team to head up towards the ruins of Vraath Keep tomorrow, maybe even as far as Skull Gorge, and we'll see what they can find."  
"Vraath Keep!" Boshley announced. "Isn't that where we're heading?" Arden hung her head and winced. Wiston eyed them all suspiciously.  
"What are you doing this far west, Taran?" he asked.  
"Well, uh…" the wizard began to answer.

"We're heading to Vraath Keep, like Boshley said," Arden quickly responded for him. "You know Taran and his love of history?" The Speaker nodded in response. "Well… he's gathering together sketches that he's taking of old ruins and putting them into a book with some of the history of each one. Vraath Keep was next on his list."  
"And what about the rest of you?" Wiston asked.  
"Protection!" Arden announced.  
"That's right," Taran agreed. "They all found me when I'd got myself into a spot of bother with some Ogres in the north."

"He was exploring Demara's Fortress and making a map of the local area," Arden continued. "Hadn't realised that an Ogre tribe had moved in. He was in a right sorry state when we found him."  
"Exactly," Taran added, clearly growing confident in this version of events. "I've learned not to go off exploring old ruins on my own. A good thing too, or the Hobgoblins would have done for me tonight." Wiston nodded slowly and seemed to accept the explanation. Soranna looked like she was on board too.

"So, if you're going that way…" Soranna began, "how about you have a look?"  
"I don't see why not," Taran offered.  
"Captain? Shouldn't we discuss this first?" Wiston asked.  
"We can trust Taran," she replied, "and I want to trust his friends too," she said gesturing to the room. "We can't spare the bodies to go and do this. We're going to need to evacuate the west bank, and start arming up. Taran, how about it?"

"We'll go," Arden said, looking determined to take charge of the discussion again. "A small group won't attract much attention. We'll hopefully be able to get to Vraath Keep and back without being noticed. Taran can do… what he has to do, and we'll report back what we find."  
"See that you do," Soranna answered, "any force too large; flee and bring word to us."  
"Agreed," Taran confirmed. "How about getting a message to Dennovar? Can you send riders?"  
"Dennovar's a week away," Elantar observed.  
"Brindol then?" Boshley suggested. "I had a drink with that fellow when we were there… What was his name? Commander of the Lion Guard…"  
"Ulverth?" Taran asked.  
"That's the one! Lars Ulverth…he was stout. Wouldn't arm-wrestle me though…"  
"Brindol's still days away; we don't have time," Wiston said, panicked. "If they're to send reinforcements, we need them now!"

"Ahem!" Taldir cleared his throat. He was waving a piece of parchment. "The Hobgoblin Cleric had this. It's a Scroll of Sending. Taran, compose a short message to your Master. Nethril has the clout to see this is acted on."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes**

This chapter contains the first section from a different character's point of view. There will be much more of this over the coming chapters, and where the POV of the story shifts, the paragraphs will be divided by this symbol:

O-O-O

Solid lines continue to mark a change in scenery, or passing of time.

 *** IV ***

She was getting tired of waiting for the Gnome.

Elantar paced the main hall of the inn, much to Arden's annoyance.  
"Will you sit down?" the Bard snapped at her.  
"The sun is rising: we should have left an hour ago," she replied.  
"Gravak's gone to wake him, we won't be much longer," Coralyn countered.  
"Won't be much longer?!" she hissed, rounding on the girl. "Have you not seen how much he packs away at breakfast?" Coralyn shrugged, and turned her attention back to her porridge.

"She has a point you know," Soranna told the rest of the party. The Guard Captain had joined them for breakfast to go over last minute preparations and to bring them maps. "It's a long march to Vraath Keep, you really should be going."

"He's awake," Gravak announced as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Elantar looked forlornly out of the window and made a sudden decision.  
"I'm going ahead alone," she declared. "I'll keep just off the road and leave signals. Arden, you know what to look for?"  
"Ugh… Not your leaves again? With the twisted stems? I hate trying to spot those," the Bard replied. "Can't you just wait for all of us?"  
"It makes more sense this way," Elantar pressed. "I can go unnoticed easier on my own and bring warning back if there's need." She opened up one of the maps that Soranna had brought them, and ran her finger along the Dawn Way, tracing the path she'd be taking. She tapped her finger on a crossroads not far south of Vraath Keep. "What's here, Soranna?"  
"It's an old trail… meets the road about four miles from the old Keep," she answered.  
"This is where we meet," Elantar declared. "I'll go on foot. If Boshley's just woken up, I'd say you have about three hours before he's done eating and emptying his bowels." Coralyn and Arden both wrinkled their noses with distaste. Soranna looked very concerned, perhaps for the local plumbing.  
"You want us to try gaining on you after a three hour head-start?" Taldir asked.  
"You'll be taking the road, and on horseback," she said. "Bring mine too," she added.

"There's… hang on," Soranna said, running her hand across the map. "An old hunter; sort of a hermit. He doesn't much like people…"  
"Sounds like your sort of guy Elantar!" Arden beamed.  
"Here, about a mile off the road," Soranna added, pointing to a location on the map. "His name's Jorr. Be careful, he's very wary of intruders."

* * *

She re-stocked on healing potions, checked her equipment and left the western end of the settlement after crossing by the ferry that the small and apparently doomed town was named for. The Gnome's late rising had given her an excuse to carve out on her own this morning, and she was eager to take the opportunity to spend some time in solitude. Having to find and talk to this Jorr was an unwelcome complication, but it'd be worth it for the few hours without the irritations that were becoming commonplace.

She left the road less than a mile from Drellin's Ferry, plucking a leaf from the nearest Maple tree, carefully twisting its stem back through its blade, and leaving it hanging on a small branch at around Arden's and Taldir's eye level. Without Elantar, they had the sharpest eyes in the party, and should be able to see the route she had taken. She returned to the road every two miles to hang another leaf to show her progress to those that would follow later in the morning.

There wasn't a lot of traffic on the road for her to avoid. Two carts headed back the way she had come, most likely bound for Drellin's Ferry, and one headed north, away from Elsir Vale and in the direction of Vraath Keep. She watched each pass, and waited until they were out of sight before continuing. She didn't want news of her whereabouts to be discovered by anybody.

Around three hours into her trek, she stopped short after glimpsing movement ahead. Several low hanging branches were swaying, but there was no wind. She was less than thirty feet from the road, and there was no other hint of anyone being present. Staying very still, she observed for a few moments. The moving foliage was steadily getting closer to her.

"Assassin Vines…" she whispered aloud. Suddenly decisive, she drew a dagger and carved an arrow onto the nearest trunk, pointing back to the path on her left; if anyone happened to be off of the road here, she hoped that this would be adequate warning. She sprang from her position and made for the road; the Vines turned towards her, but were moving slowly. If she could make the road before they got her, she'd easily outrun them.

Slightly panicked, her attention was taken off of her footing. She tripped on an old tree stump, and fell on her front a few feet short of the road. Her dagger clattered away, falling towards the attacking Vines. Noticing a sparse shadow loom over her, she looked back over her shoulder to see a Vine gaining on her. She quickly sprang back to her feet, abandoning her dagger and sprinted along the road, not stopping until she knew that she was well clear and back to safety.

She paused and caught her breath. The Vines had just broken the cover of the forest about a hundred feet behind her; she laughed at her previous panic, amused by how little danger she had actually been in. She did fear a little for her companions who would already be gaining on her, but reassured herself that their numbers would see them through the danger, even if speed couldn't.

O-O-O

"Why do they call you Badger, uncle Boshley?"  
He glanced across at his nephew with surprise.  
"Your mother didn't tell you the story?" he answered.  
"Some…" Galfrecki responded. "She doesn't really like to talk about it. Because of Dad."  
Boshley laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I see… We all miss him. He was a great Gnome! The Bentocks were delighted when my sister accepted the marriage. Your mother was very happy in those days."

"So… will you tell me about the old days?" Galfrecki asked.  
"You want to hear about your dad again?"  
"Yes please" Galfrecki replied. Boshley couldn't say no to his nephew's pleading, despite the hurt it caused him to think back to the war. Most painful of all was the day that it all started. Galfrecki settled to listen. He loved his uncle's war stories, especially those that included his dad.

"You were just a baby when the Kobolds came; just a couple of months old… Your mother and father loved you very much, you know that?" Galfrecki nodded. "Your mother's very different now, of course, but nobody would be unchanged going through what she has.

"There was no warning. They attacked our watchers, and burned the towers. We've rebuilt them since, of course… But anyway; the attack was sudden… and caught us all off guard. I was out walking with your Mum and Aunts and Thurin. You know of my Birth-Badger don't you?  
"Yes uncle," he beamed, "Grandmother speaks of him sometimes; how he was born on the same day that you were" chirped Galfecki. He hoped one day that he too would share a bond like he'd heard his uncle shared with his first badger companion.

"Whilst Thurin and I protected my sisters it was your father who rallied the town, running about shouting and hammering on doors. He sprinted to the garrison and led the reinforcements in. One of my biggest regrets will always be not being there to fight by his side… perhaps I could have stopped the blow that killed him."

" _Boshley…_ "

"Or maybe I could have been able to hold him and tell him it would be alright…" he tailed off and noticed that his shoulder was flinching involuntarily. There was unmistakably something very firm gripping and shaking it, but no visible sign of anything there.

"Uncle Boshley? What's wrong?"

Boshley felt like he was floating and the familiar surroundings blurred out of focus. He wanted to stay there, but knew that it wasn't real...

" _Boshley; you need to wake up!_ "

He woke with a start. Gravak was looming over him, shaking him vigorously by the shoulder.

"Come on," the Orc growled. "Everyone's waiting. Elantar's started spitting blood about how late we're setting out."  
"I'll be there…" he groaned.  
"Five minutes," he declared, "or it'll be Elantar who comes to get you."  
"Ha!" Boshley scoffed. "She doesn't scare me…"  
"I know," the Cleric growled, "but she annoys you, and that's probably worse. Get up."  
"Five minutes…" Boshley agreed, and Gravak left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Boaz sprang onto the bed, which creaked under his weight.  
"You couldn't have warned me?" Boshley asked, scratching him behind the ear. "I was rather enjoying my dream… It was nice to see Galfrecki again, even if it was only a memory." Boaz purred and nudged at him, pushing him towards the edge of the bed. "Okay, okay! I'm getting up…"

He quickly dressed and splashed some water on his face before gathering his equipment and heading towards the door.

"I expect they'll make me skip breakfast…" he said to Boaz as they descended the stairs. "If Elantar says anything, what do you think? Farty feet again?" and chuckled as he ruffled the fur on his head. It was one of his cruder jokes but he liked how much it had annoyed the Elf.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs and saw into the main hall, he was pleased that Elantar appeared not to be there.

"Here he is," Taran announced. "We wanted to be gone before sunrise Boshley; you're holding us up a bit here."  
"I'm sorry everyone…" Boshley announced. "Had a bit of a long night! Err… Where's Elantar?"  
"She's gone ahead alone," Gravak answered, "turns out we're a little less pressed for time now. Why not order some breakfast?"  
"Music to my ears!" he declared. "We're not going straight after her?"  
"She was happy with a three hour head-start," Arden responded. "She wasn't particularly complimentary about your morning routine…" Boshley waved this off with a chuckle and ordered up a rather large breakfast.

"She's on foot, and we'll be bringing the horses, so we should catch up to her not long after midday," Taldir added. "Think I'll eat again too, that quick bite before hasn't really done for me yet." Buttercup and Coralyn were already beginning on second breakfasts, and everyone else took the chance to do the same.

"Does she often go off alone like this?" Soranna asked as she also joined them for more food.  
"She prefers her own company," Arden answered. "Boshley getting up late was probably an excuse to be alone more than anything else. I don't think she was really as angry as she presented herself."  
"That all sounds a bit unnecessary…" Soranna responded.  
"Couldn't agree more!" Arden exclaimed. "I've tried getting inside her head though; it's really no use trying to understand…"  
"It's a bit… _off_ though, isn't it?" Taran asked.  
"Not a lot we can do…" Gravak shrugged.  
"You don't suspect she'd disappear? Like Eldarion did?" Taran asked.  
"Not for a second…" Gravak responded.

"She mite tryan kill us ferst tho," Buttercup suggested, before shovelling in another mouthful. Soranna snapped to attention looking alarmed. Taran shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  
"I don't think she's serious… don't worry," Coralyn responded with a chuckle.  
"Nar, I mean it. She mite," the Barbarian added, spraying Taldir with small flecks of egg and bacon. She swallowed before speaking further. "Wouldn't get me tho, or Bosh," she beamed. "Gravak'd suvvive," she added with a nod to the Cleric, "but the rest ov ya shud wachout; she mite do ya in yer sleep."  
"She wouldn't…" Coralyn whispered uncertainly.  
"No; she wouldn't," Gravak added more firmly. "Not because of the danger, or the consequences. I believe that she likes us. _All of us_."  
"Well I wish she'd start showing it…" Boshley declared. At least Eldarion had been friendlier, he thought to himself, despite how it ended.  
"It's just how she is," Arden shrugged. "I don't believe any of us need fear for our lives either."  
"But why do you put up with it?" Soranna asked.  
"She's very resourceful, and seems to me to be a valuable member of this group," Taran answered. "Hope you don't mind me speaking as an outsider?" he didn't wait for an answer, although Arden looked poised to give one. "They all have abilities that they contribute, and the rest of them would miss; Elantar no less than the others. She's out there right now doing what she does best; checking that the way forward is safe. We would have been ambushed by that patrol last night if she hadn't spotted them first."  
"He's right," Gravak agreed. "I feel confident going out today that we won't meet any danger on the road. And her loyalty is definitely not in question." He glared around the table to make his point.

The party made full use of the three hours that Elantar had given them, using the time to properly explore Drellin's Ferry. Taldir made for an old Wizard on the western edge of town, and returned an hour or so later with arms full of newly purchased scrolls. The rest of them used the time to sharpen their weapons, exercise or re-stock their potions.

Boshley claimed a healthy handful of healing potions from the loot they had gathered the previous evening, and spent his time chatting to some locals and exploring the town. He spotted Wiston out and about, looking a little jittery and decided to see what he'd been up to. As he neared the last building he had exited from, he noticed that it was another inn that had been tucked away. "There must be time for a quick one…" he said aloud to himself.

"Welcome to the Old Bridge Inn good sir!" a Halfling cheerfully greeted him as he entered. "Would you be looking to take a room?"  
"Thank you, but I won't; we arrived in town last night, and need to set out again shortly."  
"Oh…" the Halfling began to look more sullen, and Boshley marvelled at the change. "You must be one of those who came in with young Taran?"  
"That's right…" he answered.

He caught himself before he gave any more away. He'd realised during this past few weeks that perhaps he was a little too open and trusting at times. The situation with Eldarion still rather stuck in his mind. He still kind of liked the Ranger, however, and his eternal optimism said there must be an explanation.

"It's OK; Wiston just filled me in. He's spreading the news. Gently mind, but he's letting a few of us know. He prefers that to big announcements; feels that the news is better coming from those closer to the people."

Boshley felt that something was missing, but it didn't take him long to identify it.  
"What do you have to drink?" he asked.  
"Ah! That's more my business," the landlord grinned. "We do a good line in fine reds, a couple of vintages if you have the coin…"  
"I was looking for something more every-day. Don't get me wrong, I like a good wine with a meal, but not really for the road!"  
"Fair enough!" he responded. "We usually have a number of cask ales on offer, but we're running low this morning. Expecting delivery this afternoon though, so worth checking in next time you come through this way. How about home-brewed scrumpy?"  
"That'll do nicely!" Boshley exclaimed. "You make it here?"  
"That's right; apples from my brother's orchard, and we brew it in the cellar," he said as he filled a tankard.  
"Fantastic!" Boshley exclaimed after taking a quick swig. "I love the sharp kick on the back of the tongue; perfect!"

The landlord beamed at the praise. "My name's Kellin, by the way; Kellin Shadowbanks."  
"Boshley," the Gnome answered. "Boshley Badger Bentock of Clan Beren. So… Wiston has been filling you in; what do you think?"  
"Well, if it's true, it doesn't look all that good. But I'd be up for negotiating; everyone has a price."  
"Buy them off? You think that'll work?" Boshley asked.  
"Of course!" he responded enthusiastically. "I'm a businessman; I don't believe there's anything that can't be settled by an agreeable price. Throw enough money at any problem, it'll go away."

"Hmm… well, we're going to look into it. I have to say, I think this'll need fighters more than anything else, and if there's as many Hobgoblins coming as we suspect, there are too few here. Just between you and me…" Boshley leant in and dropped to a whisper, "it could be worth getting out of here; I'd suggest heading for Brindol; the walls there are much easier to defend, and it's a well garrisoned town."  
"With respect, sir, this inn has been in my family for eight generations; I won't abandon it!" he responded earnestly.  
"Well…" Boshley drained his tankard, "I can respect that, and for the sake of your cider, if nothing else, I hope that this town's in no danger. Must go, I'm already running late and the Hobgoblins will not, unfortunately, kill themselves! How much for the drink?"  
"This one's on the house," Kellin answered, "but bring back good news, eh?"

Boshley bowed, and took his leave. He made a mental note of his location and thought he might try bringing Gravak next time. He was still fascinated by the half-Orcs, and the bizarre mixture of two very different communities that they represented. He was keen to observe more of them in public situations.

They ended up setting out from Drellin's Ferry around three-and-a-half hours after Elantar in the end, so would need to make quicker time than planned in order to catch her. After crossing the ferry - no easy task with seven horses - they left town and re-entered the Wychwood. The scent of pine leaves greeted them, and Boshley enjoyed the freshness in the air; Boaz seemed to share in this as Boshley sat astride him. Being a great deal shorter than the horses that the others rode, Boaz had to work hard to keep up, but Boshley took great pride in his efforts. Even the Dire Badger's quickest pace bought complaints from Taldir though; he clearly wanted to be moving along the road much faster than they were.

They passed two laden carts heading in the opposite direction, and Boshley greeted them with a friendly wave as they met. They paused to exchange pleasantries with each one, Boshley and Arden doing the majority of the talking while Taldir fidgeted impatiently. Nobody had seen any sign of an Elf on the road, but they had found several of Elantar's leaf signals to show her progress.

Buttercup's horse was carrying her just ahead of the main party, and she was looking for signs of others' passage. About an hour into their ride, she raised her hand and called a halt.  
"Ang on!" she called, and dropped from her saddle. She made for the edge of the road, and moved slightly into the tree line. "Suwmun fellere," she announced upon returning, "den ran onta da road."

The road was dusty, and had clearly been disturbed recently by somebody on foot, and moving in a hurry. Boshley rode up to join the two Orcs; Gravak had dismounted to inspect the tracks too.  
"There's a dagger here," the Cleric observed, stooping to pick it up. "Is this Elantar's?" he asked, showing it around.

"Err…" Coralyn gestured at the tree line, "those trees are moving," she said with panic.  
"Must be the breeze," Taldir said, following her gaze.  
"No…" she insisted. "Everyone mount up! Move!"  
"What is it, Coralyn?" Arden asked.  
"Assassin Vines! Move!" she insisted.

Boshley could see them now too. Tall and loping, they towered over even Gravak on horseback, and they were moving inexorably towards them. He spurred Boaz on, and the Badger began to sprint, heading onwards along the road. Within seconds, Arden, Taran and Coralyn had overtaken him, and the three of them were a long way beyond him before they stopped to look back. Risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw Gravak and Taldir remounting, but Buttercup had raised her axe and made directly for the nearest Vine. Bewilderingly, she appeared to be a bit shinier than usual.

" _Blast it_!" thought Boshley. Friends were about to put themselves in danger, and there was no way that he was going to leave them to it; he wouldn't allow Buttercup to risk herself while he ran from peril. Drawing his sword, he spurred Boaz to turn back into the fray.

He slashed at a couple of vines but no sooner had he done this than three more shot at him, one grasping his right wrist, and the other two latching on to Boaz. One of the Vine's tendrils wrapped around his neck and began to tug, and Boaz was struggling to breathe. He clawed at the Vine around his neck, but couldn't snap it. Boshley tried desperately to free his sword arm, but couldn't and looked on helplessly as Boaz slumped to the ground beneath him.

Enraged, he managed to lever the tendril gripping his wrist with his sword and slice through it, releasing his hand. He bellowed a war cry and leapt from Boaz's still form, beating back the Assassin Vine with his shield and carving another lump out of it. Standing over Boaz with his shield raised, he took out a healing potion, un-stoppering it with his teeth and poured it into his Badger's mouth. Boaz flickered back to life and regained his feet.

The Badger snarled at the attackers and was immediately assailed by another tendril. "No!" Boshkley squeaked, and made to swing his sword at the Vine, but found his arm had been grabbed from behind as another Assassin Vine latched onto him. The first wrapped itself around Boaz once again, and very soon, he lay still and lifeless.

Two missiles struck the Vine squarely in what Boshley imagined to be its chest, and its attention was fixed further down the road where Coralyn and Arden were both reloading and quickly approaching. From the other direction, Taldir fired his bow from horseback, but his arrows seemed to move slower, and bounced off of the animated plants. Grim and determined, Boshley attempted to free himself from the Vine that had him, and began to fight it off.

Very soon after, Buttercup and Gravak had both come to his aid as well; they had presumably been fighting off other vines, and had just reached him. The Barbarian chuckled as she swung her axe at the Vine, taking a large slice out of it. It grasped for her, but seemed unable to grip her effectively. Boshley noticed that she appeared to be covered in grease, and this seemed to be helping her to remain free of its clutches. He felt a slight sting to his pride that he had gone in to help the Barbarian, but had ended up needing her help instead.

With the arrival of the Orcs, the Assassin Vines didn't last much longer, and they were soon free.

Boshley hacked away at the last few vines holding Boaz's lifeless body as tears began to form in his eyes. He felt totally responsible for the loss of his friend and mount. Boaz had obeyed him unquestioningly, and was in a bad way because of it.

It was then that Arden and Coralyn stepped forward to join Gravak. They uttered their words of healing, and Boaz's lifeless body began to stir. As Boshley muttered calming words into Boaz's ear he managed to squeak some thanks to the rest of the group. Without the brute force of Buttercup and Gravak and the powers of the healers, Boaz would have been lost for good.


	5. Chapter 5

*** V ***

The hut stood well-hidden amongst a small clearing, ringed by thick Oak trees. If Soranna had not told her its location, she probably wouldn't have found it. In many ways, this was Elantar's ideal home, and she paused for a few minutes as she dreamed of a future where this was what she could have.

Some movement at the door caught her attention. Two tall, lean yet thickly-muscled hounds prowled on the front veranda, a third exiting the hut to join them. One seemed to look directly at her before descending the steps and approaching. It stopped around ten feet from the foot of the stair and glared silently in her direction. The others joined it.

Elantar was well hidden, and still a long way off. She found it very difficult to believe that she had been spotted, but not knowing the limits of a dog's vision, didn't want to assume too much. She remained still for around a minute more, waiting for them to move again. The hounds continued to prowl around the outside of the property, never moving far from it. Whatever had caught their attention, it wasn't her.

Cautiously, she approached, careful not to make any sound. She didn't like her chances against all three dogs, and wasn't sure she could outrun them. She paused again, with the dogs spread out and all facing away from her. She weighed up whether this was worth the risk; whoever this Jorr was, he clearly wasn't interested in visitors. One of the hounds came closer to her, and again turned to face away. She could probably pick this one off to better her survival chances, but suspected that the hermit wouldn't take kindly to that act. Elantar decided that, to get any closer, she would need to distract them.

She pulled a Thunderstone from her pouch and weighed up a throw. She flung it as far as she could, away from the hut, but in a direction where she wouldn't be in the dogs' path when they ran for it. A loud crack erupted as it hit the ground, and the dogs snapped to attention, moving towards the sound, but not far enough away from the hut to be of any use to her. Their gaze became fixed on the trees where the stone had sounded, and they waited, still and patient.

The door swung open with a snap, and out strode the largest human male that Elantar had ever seen. He was covered in almost as much hair as his dogs; a long grey mane fell below his shoulders and blended with his beard. His arms and some of his chest were exposed beneath his open animal hide vest, and were covered in thick black curls. He raised a loaded crossbow in both hands and made towards his dogs, checking his periphery as he moved. Elantar had no idea what to do next, and seeing Jorr, was even less sure that she wanted to speak with. She thought about heading away to rendezvous with the rest of the party at the agreed location, but what would she tell them? The way she saw it, if she was going to leave, she had three options.

The truth would lead to Arden mocking her about her inter-personal skills, Boshley mocking her for cowardice, and Buttercup just plain mocking her for whatever reason she wanted. That wasn't an option.

She could say that she never found the place. She dismissed that as soon as thinking of it: she was the party's scout, and if she couldn't find something, they may as well do away with her.

The final option was to lie and say that she spoke with Jorr. She wasn't that confident in her ability to fool Arden though; they'd all want to hear information, want to know what he knew, if he was going to help, and a hundred other questions that she wouldn't be able to come up with the answers to.

Her only choice, as far as maintaining her reputation would allow, was to try to make contact with him. She rose slowly, and raised her hands as if in surrender. Making no attempt to move silently, it wasn't long before she was noticed. The hounds began to bark, and ran towards her, but stopped a long way short, still not leaving the vicinity of their hut; it was as if there was a distance from the structure that they would not move. Jorr followed them, keeping his crossbow raised at all times. Elantar froze just short of the snapping hounds as Jorr stopped behind them, crossbow pointed directly at her chest. There would be no running now, and certainly no way of fighting her way free should it come to that.

"Jorr?" she asked, certain that she'd found who she was looking for.  
"Who's asking?" he growled in response.  
"My name is Elantar Moonwhisper; you won't know of me, I'm not local."  
"That much was obvious, Elf. State your business," he demanded.  
"I've come from Drellin's Ferry; Soranna Anitah asked me to stop by here."

At the mention of Soranna's name, Jorr paused and then lowered his crossbow. A sharp whistle silenced his dogs, and they sat at ease. Elantar slowly lowered her hands, and was relieved to see that the situation had diffused.

"She's… a friend of yours?" Elantar asked.  
"No one's my friend," Jorr snapped, "but Soranna's more reasonable than most. Why did she ask you to come this way?"  
"We think there's an invasion coming; we came across a Hobgoblin patrol on the road east of town last night, and took a prisoner. He spoke of a grand invasion plan; the clans united and all that. I'm with a group heading toward Vraath Keep anyway, so we're checking out the rumour. She wanted me to warn you, I think. She wasn't all that clear, actually…"  
"Vraath Keep, eh? So you're after the old treasure hoard?" he laughed.  
"No, actually, we're, uh…" she tailed off. Arden's alternative take on their quest was ridiculous, and she'd feel a fool repeating it.  
"It's alright; I know the rumours," Jorr confirmed. "Fairy tales though. I've been to check it out myself, there's nothing there but a ruin."  
"We need to see for ourselves," Elantar answered.  
"As you should," Jorr nodded appreciatively.

"Was that you just now? The loud bang?"  
"No," she said almost instinctively. It took her a second to realise this would mean that someone else was out here. "I mean… yes. Yes, it was. A Thunderstone; I was trying to distract your dogs."  
"Wouldn't work. They're well trained," he answered.  
"I can see that," she answered. "Now; about the invasion?"

"You can consider me warned," Jorr answered. "I'll keep my eye on the road for Hobgoblins moving towards the Vale."  
"You're staying here?" she asked. He nodded. "I'm sure Soranna would find space for you, maybe even welcome your help defending the town."  
"My place isn't among people, Elf. This is my home; I won't leave it," he answered, in a tone that suggested this wasn't negotiable.  
"I understand," she said. "Well… I should…" she gestured back in the direction of the road. "Oh!" she remembered, just before leaving. "There are others coming behind me; a couple more Elves, a Gnome, a human, two half-Orcs, and a half-Elf."  
"Understood," he said. "I'll try not to shoot your friends," he added with a grin. Elantar smiled.  
"No one's really my friend either," she said. "Believe me, I understand a lot more about your situation than you probably realise."  
"Oh… I very much doubt that, Elantar Moonwhisper, but still, if you come back this way alive, let me know how it's going with this invasion."

Respectfully, she nodded in salute, turned, and left.

O-O-O

They paused to rest before continuing northward.

Having spoken up for her that morning, Gravak was disappointed that Elantar had left no warning of the Assassin Vines' presence. This soon turned to concern; perhaps she had no opportunity to do so, and now lay dead somewhere in the forest? He hoped not, but finding one of her discarded weapons didn't bode well. Buttercup seemed convinced that the trail on the road had been the Rogue's quick footsteps, which seemed to stop fairly abruptly just about where they rested, and led back into the trees.

"Aha!" Arden exclaimed. She brandished a leaf at them, its stem twisted back and pushed through its blade. "She must've survived," the Bard underlined. "I wish these weren't so hard to find though…"

O-O-O

They were late.

"Boshley must have slowed them down…" Elantar whispered aloud. She hoped that was all it was. She'd had no time to leave a clear warning about the Assassin Vines, and hoped that her marks on the road were enough for Buttercup to read. The Barbarian was an excellent tracker, far better than Elantar, but she did lack in intelligence, and may have struggled to put the pieces together. She hoped desperately that, between them, the party had had fair warning and that she hadn't left them to be ambushed.

She looked out from behind the rocky outcrop where she was sheltering and listened carefully.

Silence.

"Come on…" she willed.

O-O-O

"Is he ready yet?" Taldir asked irritably. "We're late. I for one could do without her condescension once we catch up." Ondolindë, his Raven Familiar, perched on the Wizard's left shoulder and cawed loudly as if it agreed with him.  
"Give him a couple more minutes," Arden answered. "He's still pretty shaken up." Boshley had sat aside with Boaz, simply talking to the creature and stroking his fur, for about twenty minutes now. Gravak didn't really understand this relationship; nobody else he knew would hold such close emotional ties with a beast. Taldir's relationship with the bird that he kept seemed entirely dispassionate, but Boshley was far happier, and a more effective companion, with the Dire Badger around. He may not understand him, but Gravak liked this Gnome.

"What scrolls did you pick up in Drellin's Ferry?" Taran asked Taldir. "I forgot to ask."  
"He had a number of spells with which I was not yet familiar," the Wizard answered, "I am undecided yet whether to use them as they are, or to scribe them into my book. This one," he said, gesturing with a scroll he had just drawn from his robe, "contains a Web spell. I've seen it in action before, and it can be rather useful in a scrap. I have two of those."  
Taran nodded appreciatively. "What else?"  
"Some minor healing spells in case of emergency, which Coralyn has taken," he said with a nod to the girl. He rummaged in his copious pockets and pulled out two more scrolls, "and two scrolls of Flight. Not sure how useful they may be; could be handy if I get into the sort of danger that I'm not built to cope with though."  
"The sort of danger that comes at the business end of a sword, you mean?" Arden asked.  
"Exactly," Taldir grinned.

The Wizard had had a shaky beginning in this company, but he had grown noticeably in recent days. He still oozed arrogance, like all Grey Elves were prone to do, and had very little patience for delays of any kind. But he was talking to them a lot more now, and his combat abilities had also stepped up a notch. He was becoming just as valuable as everyone else to their small team, and while not everyone appreciated his presence – Elantar and Coralyn seemed to particularly dislike him, along with Eldarion before his betrayal – Gravak was confident that he would soon be winning them all over.

"Thank you for giving me some time," Boshley announced as he re-joined them. "I needed that. Are we ready to move on?"

O-O-O

Hooves. It was unmistakable. Elantar listened carefully and counted seven horses, she guessed about three hundred yards along the road south of her position. She peered out from her concealment and saw shapes moving in the distance. The sun was just beginning to descend in the western sky, and the surrounding forest was casting a gloom over the road that made the approaching riders hard to make out at this distance. There had been a spyglass for sale in Brindol that she had contemplated for a while, but thought the asking price was a bit high, and stealing it too great a risk. She cursed the decision.

The riders drew closer, and her mood lightened as a flute began to play. She couldn't be certain, but it seemed likely to be one of Arden's tunes. It wasn't much longer before she could clearly make out two half-Orcs sitting tall on their warhorses, a Gnome on a large Badger, four slender figures on horses, and a final rider-less horse tethered to one of the others.

She was relieved that they had all made it, took a few deep breaths and composed herself in preparation to greet them.

O-O-O

The Rogue leapt over a boulder off to the left of the road and whistled to them with a hand raised.

"What kept you?" she asked coolly, and made for her horse.  
"Good to see you too!" Arden responded. "We had a bit of a run-in with some psychotic plants, but it turned out to be nothing… then we just sat around in the sun enjoying ourselves!"  
Boshley made to say something, but instead held his tongue. He patted Boaz's head instead, and reached for an apple from his pack.

"I'm sorry I couldn't leave a clearer warning about the Vines," Elantar continued. Most of the party looked round in surprise, perhaps at the fact that she had offered an apology for something. "Were my tracks enough?"  
"Yeah, I saw 'em," Buttercup nodded.  
"That bought us to a stop," Gravak added, "and then Coralyn spotted the Vines and her warning kept us mostly safe."  
Boshley grimaced, but Gravak was pleased to see that his relief still outweighed his grief. "Yeah…" Boshley continued. "Bit of a scrap to fight them off, but we all got through it."

"Did you find Jorr?" Taran asked.  
"I found him…" Elantar answered. "He's watching the road."  
"What… that's it?" Arden pressed.  
"There's not much else to tell," she shrugged.  
"He's staying?" Boshley asked, "Not going back to town?"  
"It's his home…" Elantar responded. "Oh, he's been to Vraath Keep before. That's about all."  
"You told him?!" Arden snapped.  
"He guessed. Said it's just an empty ruin; he'd heard the rumours, but says there's no hidden treasure. I said we'd have to see for ourselves, and he seemed to appreciate that."  
"What was he like?" Gravak asked.  
"I don't know… he's just some guy, you know?"

Elantar spoke some Elvish words to her horse as she un-tethered it from Gravak's and he shook out his mane as she mounted in an elegant leap. "Thanks for bringing Stranger along," she said to the Cleric.  
"Stranger?" he responded. "I never knew you'd named him."  
"Bit of an odd name, isn't it?" Boshley asked.  
"It doesn't translate all that well into the common tongue…" she began, "Kharro-Ebaneth," she said aside to the Elves. Taldir grinned with recognition, and Taran nodded.  
"Yeah… Stranger's about as close as you'd get," Arden agreed. "I like it though!"  
"What does it mean?" Gravak asked. He knew little of other cultures' traditions, and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about them.

"It's from an old Elvish legend;" Arden answered as they all began to resume the northward journey. "He Who Carries, Protects and Sustains, The Mysterious Beholder, The Great Unknown…"  
"Each tribe usually sees him in a different way, and develops its own tradition and understanding of him as a character," Taran answered. "The differences are usually benign, and are discussed and debated freely amongst the Tribes. But it's not unheard of for wars to be fought over it."  
"Seriously?" Boshley asked, incredulously.  
"Believe me," Elantar said, "Some Elven tribes can be incredibly insular, bitter and intolerant. I'm from one of those who went to war over His meaning."  
"Ah…" Taran gestured, "I was going to ask what your view of Him was, but perhaps I shouldn't…"  
Elantar laughed. "Don't worry," she answered, "I've taken on my own ideas of Kharro-Ebaneth's character." She smiled to herself and urged Stranger on, pulling ahead of the party.

"Are there others like this Stranger?" Gravak asked the other Elves when she'd pulled away.  
"There's no one like Kharro-Ebaneth!" Arden exclaimed. "He's pretty unique; almost god-like to some tribes…"  
"Hence the wars…" Taran added.  
"Indeed!" she agreed. "Tell someone that their god was just some mysteriously helpful guy, and they can get a bit annoyed. It's a touchy subject to some."  
"There are other legendary figures though," Taldir added, "if that's what you mean? Thousands of them…"  
"I'd like to hear more," Gravak answered, "Perhaps read up on some of them."  
"There's not much on paper about them," Arden answered, "mostly stories and songs. I'll play some when we stop for the night."

"How does your tribe see The Provider, Arden?" Taran asked.  
"Well, you've given your views away," she answered. The two of them smiled, but Gravak remained none the wiser.  
"I was raised by humans," she responded.  
"Of course…" Taldir sneered.  
"All I know is from songs," she added, brushing off the insult.  
"I forget that you're half-Elven sometimes," Coralyn said. "It's hard to see the Human in you."

"It's your Father who's the Elf, isn't it?" Gravak asked.  
"Yes," she answered. "I never knew him. Mother said he was a bit of a charmer; very handsome, but ultimately selfish and a bit nomadic. He just took off unannounced one…" she paused and frowned.  
"What is it?" Taran asked.  
"I just had a horrible thought…" she answered.


	6. Chapter 6

*** VI ***

The forest began to gradually thin out. They rounded a bend and were faced with a much more open area that led steeply downhill, the path leading on to a rickety looking structure that spanned an expanse of water. Elantar had paused at the top of the slope and waited for the others to catch up.

"I'll go ahead," she announced, dismounting from her horse. Pulling her cloak around her, she slipped ahead. Gravak watched her advance; there wasn't a lot of cover, but she was doing her best to keep to the shadows. If anyone was watching, she wouldn't be easy to spot.

After a couple of minutes, she signalled back at them to follow. They all advanced downhill and met her at the edge of the bridge.

"Wait here," she said. "There was movement a minute ago, behind that old cart." She pointed out into the water, where a broken wagon lay partially submerged. Gravak guessed that it had once fallen from the road and that its owner had been unable to free it from the riverbed.

"There it is again!" Elantar hissed. "Some sort of giant serpent, I think…"

Gravak's head snapped in her direction, and then followed her gaze towards the wagon. A vicious head raised itself at the end of a long sinewy body. The Cleric was overcome with fury.

He sprinted directly for the cart, heedless of any dangers that the water may hold, and cursed loudly as his feet began to stick to the muddy bottom. He knew that he wouldn't be held by it; nothing would stop him, but he was being slowed considerably. Gravak bellowed with rage, gesturing at the beast with his mace as he waded through the thick mud, water up to his knees. Boaz was just about managing to swim, and was slowly overtaking him, Boshley sitting on top, spurring his mount on with his sword arm outstretched.

Gravak looked around at the others, and saw Buttercup and Elantar jogging further along the walkway with weapons drawn. Taldir was flicking through his spell book, the others remaining still around him.

"Watch out!" Coralyn suddenly called, pointing in the direction of the cart.

Gravak returned his attention to his front, and saw the beast's head rise on a long neck. It was soon joined by a second, then a third, then two more.  
"One serpent or five, I care not!" Gravak replied. "I'll smite them all!" He and Boshley continued to make slow progress towards the cart where they cowered.  
"I don't think they're snakes!" Arden called back. "It's a Hydra!"

At this, a huge claw settled on top of the cart, and the Cleric could finally see what the others had. It was indeed a Hydra. It began to clamber on top of the cart, its heads hissing in unison and jaws snapping. It lunged for Gravak, and he raised his shield.

The expected impact never came. There was an Elvish call from behind him and a huge splash, followed by a considerable amount of the river engulfing him and Boshley. He peered around his shield and saw a tangle of elongated necks begin to sink into the marshy waters. He looked back to see Taldir close his book and throw him a quick salute.  
"It's asleep," the Wizard called. "We have about five minutes to get out of here."

O-O-O

Taldir's abilities were beginning to become impressive. Elantar never thought she'd credit it of a Wizard, but she was beginning to see his value.

"We should kill it," she said, turning to Buttercup. The Barbarian frowned at the suggestion.  
"Wen iss asleep? Dat's wrong…" Elantar looked back at her incredulously.

Arden had approached them along the walkway, closely followed by the others who had remained out of the water. She'd heard the brief conversation, and took Buttercup's side.  
"It's not worth the risk; Taldir's made the way safe, let's just move on."  
"Look," Elantar pointed. Boshley and Gravak were completely soaked through and remained in the water, close to the sleeping Hydra. Boshley poked it with his sword, and it didn't move.

"Perhaps she's right…" Taldir said, gesturing to Elantar. "We'll need to come back this way, and it'd pay us to make the road safer." Gravak and Boshley were beginning to attack the sleeping beast, and this seemed to make everyone's mind up, although Buttercup still look very reluctant to take part.

The Barbarian reached into her pack, and pulled out a rope. She removed one of her gauntlets and began tying it with one end of the rope. Bemused, Elantar leapt into the stream, but found it a little deeper than expected. As she was treading water, Buttercup's rope dropped next to her as she lowered it to the bottom. On occasion, the Barbarian showed a lot more wisdom than she was credited with.

Having checked the depth, she joined Elantar in the water, and they swam towards the Hydra to help the others out.

O-O-O

Gravak felt a little foolish. His simple hatred for serpent-kind had blinded him to all other things and almost got them into trouble; it was only the quick thinking of Taldir that had kept them safe and made the monster so easy to dispatch.

"Aren't Hydras' heads supposed to grow back when you cut them off?" Arden asked. Boshley and Elantar had been systematically severing each neck in turn, but none had re-grown. Buttercup would have made much lighter work of it, but she instead looked on, knee-deep in the stream stroking her axe thoughtfully.  
"Perhaps they have to be conscious to do it?" Coralyn suggested.

Gravak made to offer an apology for his rashness, but instead only found himself saying: "good work, Taldir." The Wizard accepted the praise with a nod.

"Elantar," he called to the Rogue. "I almost forgot; you left this behind," Gravak said, handing her back the dagger that had been discarded earlier that day.  
"Thanks," she gestured, taking it by the handle that he offered, "thought I might have lost that."  
"Oh yeah…" Arden remembered. "You were saying about your swords last night? Are your daggers that meaningful to you as well?" Gravak looked on in interest, and a few more heads turned. Gravak realised Arden wasn't the only one who wanted to hear more about Elantar's history.  
"Not so much," the Rogue answered hesitantly. "I've had them both for a very long time. I'd have missed them, but not as much as my swords."  
"What's so special about them?" Taran asked.  
"They belonged to my parents," Elantar answered simply with a shrug. Taran looked on expectantly, as if he had some knowledge of what was about to come already. Elantar looked as if she didn't want to say any more, but Arden pressed on.  
"They're… dead?" she probed.  
"Apparently," Elantar snapped. "Look; I don't really know the whole story, just what I've been told… but I've seen enough to know not to trust everything I'm told by those in charge."  
"So…" Arden began, "where could they be if not…"  
"Can we drop it?" Elantar cut her off. "It's not really something I enjoy discussing, and we're not exactly in the safest place in the world…"

Arden turned away in frustration.

O-O-O

Vraath Keep sat some way off of the road; off to the left on a hilltop. The ruins rose to a considerable height, as if in mockery of the great fort that it had once been. From this distance, there was no indication as to whether or not it was occupied. Elantar once again regretted not taking the Spyglass in Brindol.

"Wait here," she demanded. "I'll take a look: stay out of sight. If I'm not back in twenty minutes… well… expect danger."

Eschewing the path that led up to the old Keep, she stayed amongst the trees on her approach. There was a small wooden structure at the top of the hill in front of the keep, but no other cover between the tree line and the ruin itself. She could also see a large opening at the front of the castle, but assumed that, were it occupied at all, this would be heavily guarded and an obvious entrance. The trees were sparsely planted, but still provided a covered approach all the way to the foot of the hill on the far side of the keep, where she circled until she found another way in.

The fort was definitely occupied. From above, she could hear several voices speaking and laughing. There was still no sight of anybody, so she began to climb, beginning to feel more exposed without the cover of the trees.

Gaining the top of the hill, she sunk into the wall with the doorway a few feet to her right and paused to listen for a few seconds. She didn't understand the language, but from what she had heard, guessed that the keep's occupants to be speaking the Goblin tongue. She crept along to the opening, peered into the entrance and saw nobody. A large space, open to the sky, could be reached along a short corridor, which had doors to the left and the right; both of which were open. The ceiling of this passage had also been destroyed at some point, and Elantar wondered if the whole roof was missing.

The room on the right appeared empty at ground level, but scanning upwards to where the walls had crumbled away, she could see that the approach to the front of the keep was being watched by two Manticores. She gave a sudden start as she saw them, but managed to keep her surprise in check enough to stay silent. She waited for a couple more minutes before doing anything else, and neither of the beasts moved. Perhaps she'd got lucky, and caught them sleeping.

The voices were definitely coming from the room on the left; the other side of the exterior wall to where she was standing. Elantar counted four distinct voices, one of which spoke in considerably deeper tones than the others. She wanted to get closer for a definite head count, and made to step inside the keep so that she could look through the door. Carelessly, she kicked a small pebble, sending it skipping across the stone floor where it clattered into the open door of the Manticores' room.

There was a sudden silence from the other room, and footsteps approached. Having no wish to fight off superior numbers, she fled, sprinting down the hill and not looking back until she had reached the bottom. A quick glance back revealed that she hadn't been followed far, and when she was back amongst the trees, she took a more careful look at the occupants.

Two Hobgoblins stood at the entrance, both with swords drawn and hefting heavy looking shields. Three more waited just inside the doorway behind them. They wore the same armour and insignia as those that the party had killed outside of Drellin's Ferry the previous night. The Red Hand held Vraath Keep.

The Hobgoblins held their ground, but stared fixedly at her position. Elantar retreated further into the trees and circled until the enemy had returned to the inside of the fort. She cursed bitterly at her carelessness. Circling back towards the front of the keep, she waited for things to settle back down.

She'd been gone almost the full twenty minutes that she'd given the party, but was determined to return with more information. The sun was now getting fairly low in the western sky, but there'd still be a couple of hours of daylight; nightfall would come far too late to give her concealment. Elantar pressed on, and began to ascend the steep sides of the hill, hoping to shelter from view against its sides. She made directly for the small wooden structure near to the top, planning to shelter there and make further observations.

A piercing screech filled the air when she was still twenty feet short of the hut. The Manticores had seen her, and took flight in her direction. She scrambled for the cover of the wooden structure, diving behind it just as several black spines, each about half a foot in length, hit the space she had just been occupying, throwing up patches of turf.

"He's back!" she heard one of them cry from above, and bristled only slightly at the misidentification. Elantar stood, her back straight against the hut. Up close, it was definitely not structurally sound. There was no door on her side, but there were a number of loose panels that might provide access. She had doubts over the building's ability to remain standing were she to force entry though.

A shadow covered her from the direction of the keep, and she turned her gaze skyward. A spiny orange head revealed itself beneath a pair of leathery grey wings, each beating rhythmically to keep its elongated body aloft. The Manticore flew past her, then turned quickly in the air with its tail raised.

"Here!" it screeched, and the second beast joined its partner, swooping over the hut and also turning to face her.

Elantar looked on, with a single dagger drawn. She had been poking at one of the loose panels of the hut, and had managed to make a large enough opening to fit through. The Manticores growled, and each loosed another volley of spines at her. She slipped inside just as they peppered the outside of the hut. Feeling a few sting marks, she cowered inside and picked spines from her chainshirt; one had made its way through the links and pierced the flesh of her shoulder.

"We've got him cornered in the shed!" one of the Manticores called. A voice bellowed in response from the direction of the keep, presumably from one of the Hobgoblins inside. She found a door facing the ruined fort. It resisted as she nudged it open slightly, but eventually gave way enough for her to see through clearly. The first thing that caught her eye was a large pile of bones, perhaps the skeletons of several long-dead beasts. There appeared to only be one ribcage intact though, and its size was alarming. The more pressing thing she observed was the sight of three or four Hobgoblins arming up in the main entrance to the keep. The Manticore was right; she was most definitely trapped.

She pushed the decrepit door pack into place, and started as the whole structure began to lean away from her. Within seconds, she lay underneath the collapsed hut, unhurt, but covered in planks of rotten wood.

Knowing that she didn't have long, she immediately sprang from her prone position, flinging timber in all directions, and began to sprint downhill, away from the fort as quickly as she could manage. The Manticores, presumably taken by surprise, were slow to react and turned awkwardly in the air. She dodged another volley of spines as she took flight, and heard the frustration in the beasts' screeches.

Elantar glanced back when she was part way down the hill and saw that both Manticores were pursuing her. Somehow, she was getting away from them. Both raised their tails in unison, and let fly another bunch of sharp spines. She leapt sideways as they reached her, but couldn't prevent one of them catching her in the lower leg and sticking in the meat of her calf.

She winced and fell to the ground. Her momentum carried her downhill, and she began to tumble, bouncing painfully a couple of times. Thinking quickly, she reached down and pulled the spine from her leg before her next landing. She winced as she drew it out, and sharply took in a breath. The Rogue discarded the spine and fell into her next landing, rolling with the impact and springing back into the air.

Another volley of spines chewed up the ground beneath her, and she twisted away from it, spinning in the air and landing back on her feet. She stumbled for a few steps, and then straightened up, continuing to sprint downhill, with the Manticores still hot in pursuit. Knowing that she couldn't fight off the beasts alone, Elantar prepared to shout a warning to her comrades, who were now not far away. She glanced back again, and noticed them both beginning to slow. She lowered her own pace, and breathed easier.

Taking cover back amongst the trees, she observed the Manticores turn and head back to their perches atop the Keep. She lifted her trouser leg to check on her injury; the spine had bit deep, but the wound had begun to clot already. Her shoulder stung, but the leg wound was more painful. She thought about having Coralyn take a look at it, but decided to try keeping it quiet instead; she'd have a hard enough time facing up to them all after her failed scouting mission without looking like she needed help to recover.

Hobbling further on for a couple of minutes, Buttercup's voice carried to her in greeting. She paused to observe the waiting party. Boshley, Arden and Taran were watching the Barbarian's latest poetry recital with either rapt fascination or bewilderment. Gravak, Taldir and Coralyn stood huddled away from them, and looked concerned, presumably because Elantar was late returning. She downed a healing potion and composed herself.


	7. Chapter 7

*** VII ***

It made her cringe a fair bit. What she was doing to the Common Tongue should probably not be allowed, but there was something about Buttercup's poetry. Arden searched her mind for the word to describe it.  
"Potential…" she finally said out loud.  
"Pardon?" Boshley asked.  
"Yeah," she continued, standing and approaching the Barbarian. "This definitely has some potential." She smiled at Buttercup, and was pleased to see that this had been taken as a compliment.  
"What could you possibly mean?" Taldir sneered, being careful to speak in Elvish. "What she calls her _poems_ are terrible. Don't encourage it!"  
"Ignore him," Arden said to Buttercup as she looked on quizzically. "There are some things we can work on. I'll help!"  
"Wot fings?" Buttercup asked.  
"Well," the Bard continued, "we can look at some of your choice of words; use some more vivid imagery?"  
"Wot?" she responded.  
"We can get to that later…" Arden answered. "The delivery needs some work, but that's a skill that can be learned. When you perform, you need to get everyone's attention. Make them know that they definitely, under no circumstances, want to take their eyes or ears off of you. Doing so will be a huge loss for them! Yes… We can get you to that level!"  
"I don't doubt that she'll have any problem holding a room's attention," Taldir announced. Buttercup grinned, as if she was taking this as praise. Learning to read sarcasm might be something else she could help the Barbarian with.

"Elantar's late, isn't she?" Boshley observed.  
"Only a few minutes," Arden answered.  
"I was just going to say," the Gnome continued, "it makes for an interesting turn of events when we're the ones left waiting impatiently for her."  
"Something's wrong," Gravak declared. "She'd be back on time if there was no problem." Arden waved this off.  
"It probably just took longer than she expected."

"It did," Elantar said as she approached, as if from nowhere. Arden always found it unnerving when she did that. "I ran into some trouble."  
"Good to see you back," Gravak responded. "What sort of trouble?"  
"The Red Hand are there in numbers…"  
"How many?" Taran interrupted.  
"I couldn't get a head count. At least half a dozen, but it could well be triple that inside; there's no way to know until we enter." This bought a few groans from the party. Eighteen Hobgoblins as well trained and equipped as those they had fought the previous night would be too much for them, as far as Arden was concerned. "They weren't alone; there were two Manticores with them." Elantar hobbled across to find space to sit in as she said this. She looked in considerable pain.

"Your leg is wounded," Coralyn observed. "Let me take a look."  
"It's fine…" she insisted stubbornly. Elantar could be incredibly frustrating at times; she was clearly in need of aid, and Coralyn would be able to help.  
"Come on…" Coralyn insisted firmly. She reached for Elantar's trouser leg, and Arden was surprised when the Rogue let her get on with it. "Was this… a Manticore spine?"  
"Yes," she replied tersely. "One hit me in the shoulder too, but this one's worse."  
"I'll look at your shoulder after," she replied.  
"Are they poisonous, these spines?" Arden asked. Coralyn shook her head.  
"There used to be Manticores with toxins on their spines, but they've been extinct for hundreds of years," she answered. "The wound's clean; it's just a scratch really. A very deep one, but it'll be fine in a few minutes." The Healer touched a finger to the wound, and it began to re-knit. "Your shoulder's fine too; it looks like your armour absorbed most of the impact." Elantar nodded and smiled as she stood.  
"Thanks Coralyn, I feel better already."

"So, what are we looking at in there?" Taran asked.  
"I can't be certain," she replied. "I got too close trying to find out more and was spotted." She looked across at Taldir: "Could be worth sending your bird for a look. Most of the roof's missing, and it'd get a better view than I could."  
"Go," Taldir said simply to Ondolindë. Elantar had never used the Raven's name, nor Boaz's. Arden didn't think she even knew what they were.

Elantar knelt, and began to draw shapes with her finger on the floor. After she'd completed a couple, she began to comment on them.  
"The hill's roughly circular, with the rectangular Keep at the top."  
"Oh… It's a map!"  
Elantar glared up at her. "Yes Arden… it's a map. There are entrances here," she rubbed out a large section of wall, "and here," as she erased a smaller piece of wall on a different side of the oblong. "We're coming at it from this direction," she gestured. "There are two Manticores here," as she marked two Xs on the map, "and at least six Hobgoblins in this room." She drew in some internal walls to divide the building up. "That's all I could see for certain."  
"Anything else outside the Keep?" Taran asked.  
"A lot of bones; just by the door here," she pointed to the larger entrance on the map. "Hopefully from a lot of dead beasts."  
"Hopefully?" Boshley questioned.  
"If it was one, you don't want to know how big it was," Elantar responded. "That's about it."

"I'm wondering if these bones might be part of the defence…" Gravak wondered aloud.  
"Theoretically possible…" Taldir answered.  
"Very possible if you ask me," Taran added. Taldir adopted a face that made it very clear that he certainly hadn't asked. "It's well known that evil beings raise Undead constructs to do their bidding." The Wizard looked sidelong at Gravak. No one had spoken publicly about the skeletons that Gravak had summoned the previous night, and Taran was either extremely brave or foolish to refer to necromancy in such terms in front of him. The Cleric simply looked on pensively, as if he hadn't really noticed the accusation. For all his wisdom, Gravak could be quite dim-witted.

Back in Drellin's ferry, Coralyn had spoken at length to Arden about what they had witnessed.

* * *

"It's just wrong!" she exclaimed. "Don't you see it?"

Arden looked back at her. She liked Coralyn, but she could be incredibly naïve. "Look, Coralyn… It's _Gravak_ , you know? Necromancy… Yes. Obviously… it's evil. Every child in the world knows that. But Gravak? You've seen how he is; he'd throw himself in harm's way for any of us. I don't think using a couple of skeletons in a fight makes a man, err, Orc… You know? I just don't think it's that simple."

"It is that simple!" she exclaimed. "I liked Gravak too; you know when I told you about my dreams that bought me to you? He was so… I don't know… but he _shone_ in them, like some beacon of purity. I was surprised when I found out he was a half-Orc, but I got over that. Necromancy is something else. One doesn't simply summon skeletons and remain Favoured by the Gods!"

Arden sighed and perched on one of the beds. If she'd know Coralyn felt this way, she probably wouldn't have suggested sharing a room. She really liked having her around, but when she went on one of her puritanical rants, she was a lot to cope with. It was going to be a long night…

* * *

This was a very strange feeling. The walls of Vraath Keep loomed threateningly above her. Her right arm extended up, with her hand resting on what she still trusted to be Buttercup's arm, and another hand rested on her left shoulder. She couldn't remember to whom it belonged.

Taldir and Arden had combined spells to render them all invisible and silent. They shuffled steadily together towards the rear entrance that Elantar had found to the Keep.

Arden let out a silent yelp as an unseen heavy boot clattered into her ankle. They passed unnoticed inside the ruined Keep, and turned right into the room where Elantar had spotted the Manticores. Once inside, the door closed behind them, apparently of its own volition.

They had come a long way unnoticed, and were fortunate that the two beasts sat atop the walls, eyes fixed on the front approach to the Keep. Taldir dropped his Invisibility Sphere, and stepped away from her, where he was able to speak again. As he began to read from a scroll, the Manticores were suddenly alert to the intrusion; raising a shriek of alarm even as they became entangled in the thick grey strands of Taldir's web.

Arden waved off her now redundant silence spell. "They're a little out of reach, aren't they?" she observed. The Manticores sat immobilised about twenty-five feet above them. As hostile sounds reached them from outside, Boshley moved to brace the door through which they had entered. Gravak advanced to a second door at the opposite end of the chamber.

Taldir grinned and took out another scroll. He spoke its words as he gestured towards Buttercup, the Barbarian beginning to rise off of the floor. After a few seconds of confusion, she roared a war cry as she propelled herself towards the nearest of the two Manticores.

"You!" the second beast screeched at Elantar with recognition. It still had its tail free, and flung a few more of its spines at her. She skipped lightly aside, and returned fire with something small and metallic. The Manticore gave a surprisingly large howl of agony. Elantar sprang towards the far corner of the room, where she began to swiftly climb to meet the enemy.

"Company here!" Boshley declared, as the door behind him took a blow from the opposite side. He stood firm, and somehow kept the door from opening inwards.

Arden had joined Coralyn and Taran in firing up at the beasts, but so far, neither of them had seemed to cause any significant harm.

"Gravak!" Coralyn exclaimed with panic. The Cleric had yanked open the door he was watching. He looked round at her and shrugged.  
"There's no one here," he responded. He spoke some unrecognisable words and gestured into the new room. "That should hold anything trying to get through," he said as he turned his attention to the Manticores.  
"What should hold them?" Coralyn demanded. "Another skeleton?!"  
"Coralyn!" Arden snapped, "this isn't the time!" She cursed as she sent another arrow wide of the mark.

O-O-O

She reached the top of the wall a few seconds after Buttercup had engaged the closest Manticore and drew both swords. It reeled from the first of the Barbarian's blows, and Elantar wasted no time in adding her own sword thrusts. Within a few seconds, they had finished the beast between them before it could free itself.

"Dis is fun!" Buttercup exclaimed, before performing an unnecessary swoop into the room and back out again. She headed towards the second Manticore, and Elantar skipped lightly along the top of the wall to join her.

The second beast was reeling from several minor wounds from arrows, and a small javelin that had been thrown from below. Elantar was gratified to see that her shuriken had embedded itself deep in one of its eyes. She raised a sword to deal it another blow, but Buttercup's axe got there first, and its struggle against Taldir's web ended forever.

"Can't hold on any longer!" Boshley suddenly called from below as the door gave way. Hobgoblins rushed the entrance, but impressively the Gnome stood firm and allowed none of them to pass into the room. They began to stab at him, but none of their blows could pierce his defences.

The moment the door had opened, Taldir had joined Buttercup in the air. The Barbarian continued to laugh raucously, clearly enjoying the ability to fly. Taldir, she suspected, was flying for quite different reasons.

Elantar stepped over the now dead second Manticore and took her first look into the main area of the Keep. "Five down here!" she called in Orcish to Gravak below her. He nodded in acceptance and called commands to his skeleton bracing the door that the enemy were trying to access. Elantar took out a fire flask, and flung it into the group as she ran across the top of the wall to see what Boshley was dealing with.

O-O-O

When it really came down to the fighting like this, Arden sometimes felt a bit like a spare part.

"Play up Arden!" Boshley called as he turned aside another sword thrust. She shrugged and took out her flute; she loved to play, but sometimes wished she could just save it for the taverns.

Boshley was holding the door admirably against the Hobgoblins, but a blow from something larger behind them found its way through and bought him, for a couple of seconds, to his knees. He was soon back on his feet, and holding back the tide with his shield raised.

"Minotaur!" Elantar called from above, "and eight Hobgoblins!" Taldir reacted quickest, floating over the wall and raining fire on the enemy. Elantar gasped. "Two Hobgoblins!" she called again, with a degree of shock evident in her voice. Buttercup dived down to attack the Minotaur, and Elantar leapt from the wall into the main chamber.

O-O-O

She turned in the air and rolled into her impact with the floor, coming up with both swords swinging into the nearest Hobgoblin who collapsed clutching at a serious neck wound. It kicked out the last of its life as it twitched at her feet. Boshley had advanced from the doorway towards Buttercup and dispatched the last Hobgoblin. The three of them bought down the Minotaur between them.

A growl bought her attention to the rest of the keep. Two Dire Wolves, each with a Goblin rider had entered from a side room, and had joined the other five Hobgoblins who had shrugged off the worst of Elantar's fire flask and reformed as a shield wall. They began slowly to approach. Boshley lowered his sword and sprinted forward to meet them. Buttercup, landing firmly back on the ground, joined him in his charge. Elantar slipped sideways to look for a way to outflank the enemy and found herself in the room previously occupied by the recently deceased Minotaur and Hobgoblins. An animal, which might have been a goat, was roasting on an open fire in the centre of the room. She began to make for a door that looked like it would lead her behind the enemy, when a warning call from Arden behind her alerted her to another in the room.

It raised its arm towards her from the far corner of the chamber and spoke words in an unknown language; she felt nothing. Leaping across the fire pit, she charged the enemy Wizard. He was bigger than she'd first thought, but was just a Wizard… She sliced at him with a well-placed sword thrust that stuck in the meat of his shoulder. He didn't look entirely concerned and pushed her away, speaking the same unintelligible words as moments before. She began to feel light-headed, and then worse…

O-O-O

Arden looked on shocked after Elantar's charge; it was entirely unlike the Rogue to fight someone face-to-face like that, especially something with as big a size advantage as the Bugbear she had just sprinted headlong at. She looked back into the main chamber, thinking of asking for help but everyone was fully engaged trying to take apart the enemy shield wall, and she'd learned that Dire Wolves were tough adversaries who needed attention.

Taldir, still airborne, directed spells at the enemy, trying to disrupt them. Two of them dropped their weapons and rubbed at their eyes. Buttercup's axe blows were starting to cause telling wounds.

She turned back to Elantar, who stood very still with her right sword outstretched. She wasn't attacking the Bugbear, who was retreating into a smaller room. "Are you OK?" she began to ask her.

"Shut up!" came the snapped reply. Furious, she strode forward, fitting an arrow to her Shortbow in the process. Elantar slowly moved towards the Bugbear's new position. The creature let out a low growl that might have been a chuckle, and with a sudden movement, she sprang forwards, burying both swords in its hide. It howled in agony, and pushed Elantar aside once again, before leaving her in the smaller side room and running straight at Arden. The Bard instinctively loosed a shot at it, which stuck in its leg. It stopped short and began to chant, pointing in her direction. Elantar was once again moving behind the enemy wizard and raised her swords to attack again.

Arden heard her strikes make contact but didn't see it. She couldn't see anything.

"Help!" she screamed.  
"I told you; silence!" Elantar snapped back. There was another impact, and then a grunt of discomfort from the Bugbear. It stumbled closer to her. She momentarily marvelled at how the loss of her sight really did bring her other senses into sharp focus.

"I can't see anything!" she shouted in defence. There was no reply.

"Arden! It's me," Coralyn said, placing a hand firmly on her shoulder. "Sit down, don't move…" Arden did as suggested, her back against the stony wall as Coralyn moved away. The clash of steel still sounded in the main chamber, and she sat silently trying desperately to work out what was going on. A growl of triumph… that was Buttercup, she thought. Weapons clashed for a few more seconds before an uneasy silence fell.

A crash to her right and some quick footsteps heralded a new arrival to the room. The Bugbear growled with frustration after another very audible weapon strike, and shuffled in an unknown direction. Taldir's voice was surprisingly welcome as he chanted a sleep spell. There was a crash, and Arden breathed with relief.

A metallic object clattered to the ground, and was followed by the sound of something sharp being drawn from a sheath. The repeated sounds of several wet impacts followed, which began to be broken up by Elantar's furious and increasingly louder screams. It was the single most terrifying thing she had ever heard.

Arden jolted to attention as another hand touched hers. She was shaking. "It's OK…" Coralyn said sympathetically.

"Elantar!" boomed a voice that sounded like Gravak's. There was the shuffling of several feet, and then some frustrated cries. Finally, the cries stopped, and were replaced with whimpers.  
"Iss ded, awight?" said Buttercup breathlessly.  
"Bastard…" spat Elantar.  
"It blinded us both…" Arden announced, slowly standing with Coralyn's help.  
"Is that all?" Taldir asked. "I can fix that."

With the help of the rest of the party, Elantar and Arden stood close together. There was a strange wet metallic scent on the Rogue that made her feel queasy. Taldir spoke a few simple words, and within seconds Arden's sight returned. "Well, that's a relief!" she exclaimed. "You know, I always liked you Taldir…"  
"I still can't see," Elantar fumed. Arden turned to look at her; she was spattered head-to-toe in crimson. The rest of the party were very quiet.  
"Are you sure?" Taldir asked.  
"I think I'd know!" she snapped back in response.  
"You must have moved or something…" Taldir waved her off. "I'll do it again tomorrow."

Elantar shrugged this off and felt her way back to the Bugbear's corpse where she retrieved her blood-stained dagger from its rib cage. "Someone look in this bag," she gestured, holding it aloft. Boshley took it from her and opened it up.  
"Empty," he said.  
"No it isn't," Elantar insisted. Boshley smirked, but held his tongue. Taldir took it from him.  
"There's an enchantment on it," he said. He rummaged around inside the bag and began to pull out a few items. "Some sort of symbol… I don't recognise it. A spyglass…"  
"Really?" Elantar asked with distain. "That's typical."  
"Why?" Arden asked.  
"I've wanted one for days, and now…" she tailed off and chuckled, feeling her way towards one of the walls.  
"A few potions…" Taldir continued. "A map?" He dropped the bag and unrolled a parchment. "Yes… This is big; invasion plans. Written in Goblin, but it's got the whole plan mapped out." He looked sympathetically at Taran and shook his head. "Not good news… We'll make sure this gets back to town though; could be useful."

"It is getting late," Taran observed. "We should think about somewhere to rest up for the night."  
"The hidden room?" Arden suggested. "Presumably that's the safest place?"  
Taran frowned. "If no one's ever found this room, we'll very probably need Elantar to help us, but in her current condition…"  
"Quiet a minute…" Elantar demanded. She moved slowly into the centre of the room and stood silently. Everyone looked on bemused.

"What are you doing?" Arden asked. The Rogue ignored her. Instead, she removed a glove and raised her hand, turning to face each wall in turn. Slowly, she stepped towards the wall between the doors where Taldir and the Bugbear had entered. She placed her hand flat against the wall and moved it around.

"This is ridiculous…" Arden muttered.  
"Hang on…" Taran answered. He stepped towards Elantar.

There was a click, and the wall slid out sideways.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

This set of encounters in Vraath keep were known for a long time as "The Best D&D Day Ever" (with apologies to James, who was ill and had to miss it...). This was the first time that Taldir had been particularly effective in combat, and he earned my personal MVP award. The whole party worked like a well-oiled machine for these fights though.

After we'd bought down the Bugbear Sorcerer to finish it off, I asked John "how long does this Blindness last for then?", not realising that it was, barring magical healing, permanent. I'd imagined during the fight that Elantar would just try to use her other senses to keep fighting, and was surprised at how well it worked. The same happened with finding the hidden door, where the game mechanics still allowed this to happen (if you're deprived vision for any reason, you can do anything that you might do otherwise, just with a penalty to your roll). I was relieved to find that others in the party had the ability to reverse the spell though, although I really don't remember why it didn't work first time. Elantar would have to wait for the next day, when spells had been refreshed, to be able to see again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes**

Sorry for the delay with this chapter - have been waiting on one of our group to provide some background notes on their character so I could make sure I was getting him right. I didn't plan to mention any names, but it's quite obvious who the hold up was when you read it! Normal service to resume...

Chapter 7 re-cap: we won Vraath Keep. Elantar was blind. We found a secret door.

* * *

 *** VIII ***

"How did…" Arden began, "What did you, do? Listen to it?"  
"Something like that…" Elantar shrugged.  
"Later," Taran announced decisively. She felt him push past her to peer through the door. "A ladder going down… anyone have a Sunrod?"  
"Here," said Arden, handing one over. It clattered on the floor below, about ten feet or so, Elantar guessed.  
"It's not deep," Taran said. "I'm going in."

They began to assemble in the small chamber below, but soon ran out of space. "There's a door this end," Taldir told them. He rattled the handle. "Locked…"  
"Guide me to it?" Elantar asked.  
"Let me guess…" Arden began, "you can pick locks with your eyes closed too?"  
"I usually do," she shrugged. "It's more about feel anyway," she explained as she knelt at the keyhole and began to probe. A few seconds later, it clicked open. Elantar replaced her tools in their pouch and clapped twice. "Another chamber; the floor's about ten feet below us, I'd say about fifteen feet wide, and a little longer?" She sniffed the air. "There's a lot of metal down here."  
"Pass that Sunrod?" Taran asked. It hit the floor below them again, and a press of bodies surrounded Elantar.  
"OK, now you're just showing off…" Arden declared.

"This must have been some sort of dungeon once," Boshley observed when they had descended further.  
"They do look like cells," Gravak agreed.  
"Iron bars?" Elantar asked. She reached out slowly, and grasped one. "Thought so…" she added.  
"Someone must have died down here," Coralyn observed.  
"Or was buried," Taran suggested.  
"Nice sword this skeleton's got," Boshley squeaked. "Far too big for me though."  
"This is a powerful weapon," Taldir said, presumably taking it from him. "Care to give it a try Buttercup?"

"These cells are all locked," Taran hinted.  
"OK, lead me to the first one…" Elantar replied. The locks on the three cells, and on the two lockboxes that they found inside, presented her with no problems, and she was soon left to rest while the others browsed the goods.

Taran was evidently pleased with the documents they had uncovered; a detailed family tree and collected journals of the Keep's history, as well as that of its inhabitants. Besides these, were the deeds to Vraath Keep itself. As well as the paper, they had scored a huge pile of coins, mostly gold; a staff containing powerful healing magic, which Gravak stowed away for emergencies; a small dragon's skull, presumably taken as a trophy at some time in the past; and a huge spiked gauntlet.

O-O-O

The night passed without incident. They had shut themselves in the hidden room, confident that anyone entering the keep would find it empty, save the littered and pillaged corpses of several Hobgoblins and their motley companions. They had stripped the bodies of everything valuable, and bought it down to the hidden dungeon. There wasn't a lot that they had any immediate use for, but they'd be coming back this way before returning to Drellin's Ferry, and then they'd leave nothing behind.

Taldir lay back and stretched out his arms behind his head. It had been a good day yesterday; his companions were finally beginning to appreciate his power, and they'd all performed superbly to take this Keep without any serious damage. Taldir knew full well that his spells had been a huge boon to them, and had graciously accepted praise from the others. He didn't need them to tell him how powerful he was, but it was gratifying to see that they were beginning to understand it.

He looked again at the map he'd found in the Bugbear's sack. The Sorcerer, named Koth as he'd learned, had been in charge of the forces holding the Keep. Koth's spellbook had turned up nothing that Taldir didn't already know. The spell that'd had left Arden and Elantar with no vision was his most powerful, and he knew all of the others already. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but Taldir was disappointed not to pick up any new tricks.

Thanks to this map, they were now a lot more informed about the invasion. The timescale was unclear, as it was set up in a day count, and this was almost entirely useless without knowing when _Day One_ was. What it did show, however, was the location of several other invading forces; the closest group being based less than a day north at Skull Gorge. Perhaps feeling confident from the previous day's victories, the party had decided together to head there before returning to Drellin's Ferry. If there was some way of destroying the bridge, they could seriously hinder the invasion, and buy the Vale some time.

He stood as Gravak and Elantar entered the chamber where he'd retreated to prepare spells for the day. He was ready to have another try at curing Elantar's blindness.

"Taldir," Gravak stated, "I want to try something that you may be interested to see. I could probably use your advice too." The Wizard nodded his approval. Of course the Orc needed his advice... He stooped to gather his pack. Gravak turned and exited, but Elantar stayed where she was.

"You did well yesterday," she said. "This would have been a lot harder without you."  
"I know… but we all played our part," he replied.  
"Shame you couldn't fix my vision," she added.  
"I'm ready to try again," Taldir grinned. She stared blankly at the wall behind him. He made some obscene hand gestures in her direction, enjoying the opportunity to poke fun at her.

He didn't see the dagger until it stuck in the wall; it had passed him by less than an inch away. Taldir glowered at her as she approached, now fixing him with a stare. The Wizard smiled.

"You missed," he spat.  
"I never miss," she replied, freeing her dagger from the wall. "Gravak lifted the curse already. Come and see what he's doing; you'll enjoy this."

Taldir composed himself as she left. He had no doubt that Elantar had put the dagger exactly where she wanted to. He could easily have blown her apart with a single word, but explaining the over-reaction might have proved tricky… and he'd only just begun to win everybody over. There was no real harm done, after all. Elantar had a short temper, and lacked discipline. She was Elven at least though, and only a little younger than he himself. Having not had the benefit of a childhood spent in Taur'ondoril, he could forgive her for some lack of maturity.

* * *

"Explain it to me again," Coralyn demanded. She was agitated, and her voice echoed around the Keep. Arden rolled her eyes, but stayed silent.  
"Like I said," Gravak began warily, "it's a different spell from the one that summons skeletons. This one raises them. It's more powerful, and permanent."  
"And you want to raise the Forest Giant skeleton?" Taran asked, shaking his head. "This is not a good idea…"  
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Taldir declared. "I don't expect Skull Gorge to be lightly guarded. This could be exactly the sort of edge we need."  
"It's wrong," Coralyn insisted.  
"I have to say," Boshley squeaked, "that I agree. Necromancy Gravak? I'd rather see you stay well away from it! On the other hand," he turned to look at Taran and Coralyn, "Taldir has a point…"

He did have a point. But then, unbelievably, so did the human. Necromancy was one of the few forms of magic that Taldir held some distrust of, but for different reasons to Coralyn. Necromancers were, almost exclusively, tyrannical abusers of the power at their disposal, using their magic only for selfish reasons. Still, that didn't sit consistently with what he had observed of the Savage so far, and he was prepared to allow him some leeway.

"Why is it wrong, Coralyn?" Gravak asked.  
"Don't get her started…" Arden winced.  
"All I'm doing," the Cleric stormed, "is helping to protect the Vale."  
"Why?" she asked.  
"Yes," he responded assertively. "Why is it wrong?"  
"Umm…" she turned to look at Taran. He shrugged a response.  
"I don't know precisely how it works, or what it does to the souls that once inhabited the bodies…" the Wizard declared.  
"Does it even have anything to do with souls?" Elantar asked.  
"I'm not even sure of that," Taran replied. He sighed. "I have no specific reason to tell you why it's wrong."  
"I never want to know why!" Coralyn announced. "I have no interest in finding out how necromancy works. I know it's wrong, and I don't support this!" She left the chamber, and walked back towards the hidden room where they had spent the night. Arden shrugged sympathetically and followed her. Taldir laughed inwardly at their petty squabbles; Coralyn no doubt saw Gravak's magic as an affront to Ehlonna.

"What did you want to know Gravak?" Taldir asked bluntly after a few seconds of awkward silence.  
"I know the spell needs onyx to power it, but I'm not sure how that works," he answered.  
Taldir nodded. "I see… You have onyx?"  
"All that we found in the mine up north." He took out a fairly large pouch bulging with black stones in a variety of sizes. The Orc, of course, lacked the knowledge that he could provide. He paused for a few seconds before committing to sending him down this path. In the end, his curiosity won over.

"You need to place it inside of the skeleton," he explained. "The skull would be best. How much to use is mostly guesswork. The spell will only use up what it needs, but it'll consume the largest pieces first." He rummaged in the bag, pulling out a handful of onyx. It was as disappointingly dull as he expected; no stones he'd seen since departing home would compare with Silmarondë, but these would have to do. "I'd suggest putting all of these smaller pieces in. If there's not enough, you can always add more." Gravak nodded to indicate that he understood. "Gravak…" he started, quieter than before. "A word for a moment?" The Cleric stepped aside with him.

"Coralyn's points are not without merit," he began. It wasn't entirely a true representation of his thoughts, but was close enough.  
"I'm far from convinced by her concerns," Gravak answered.  
"Just… be careful; don't lose yourself to this power," Taldir cautioned. Gravak furrowed his brow, then nodded and turned away.  
"We'll need to keep an eye on him," he whispered to Ondolindë once the Orc was out of earshot.

"Are you sure you can handle something this big?" Elantar asked the Cleric as he moved outside.  
"I have no idea what the extent of my power is for this spell; I've never tried before…" he answered.  
"You don't want to start with something smaller?" Boshley asked. "Maybe one of the Hobgoblins?"  
"May as well take the biggest thing we can manage," Taldir responded. "We have a bridge to take down. And don't you want to see this thing stand again?" Publicly, he'd support what Gravak was doing, at least until it gave him concern.

The lack of adversaries had given them all the opportunity to have a closer look at the collection of bones at the main entrance to the Keep. It was evident that the bones were all from one very large roughly humanoid shape. It was remarkably intact. Overnight, Taran had been leafing through some of the documents that they'd found, and confirmed that the Vraaths' demise was down to a tribe of Forest Giants. The gauntlet that they had also found in the old dungeon was taken as a trophy early in the dispute. They'd bought it up with them to arm the skeleton with. If Gravak could raise it, that was.

Carefully, the Cleric placed the ten smallest pieces of onyx inside the skull of the Giant. He stood back and closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally for the spell to come.

The stones began to vibrate. After a few seconds, this had been the only change. "I think I should try something smaller," Gravak frowned.

They set out northward shortly afterwards, accompanied by the re-animated corpse of a Dire Wolf. Due to its only recent departure from the mortal plain, it wasn't quite a skeleton as yet. Lumps of fur and meat fell off it every few feet as it shook its bones clean. Coralyn was silent, but looked furious.

"I know what might help!" Arden suddenly announced. She whispered a cantrip, and turned the corpse pink. Taldir stared blankly at her. The Bard's conjurations were often frivolous, but this use of magic was simply insulting.

Arden, and those like her who used their magic mostly for personal gain, always gave him cause for concern. He'd spent well over a century studying magic, and honing his abilities. It had given him what he saw as the correct approach to utilising magic. Bards, Sorcerers and Favoured Souls; all of them were seemingly given their magical abilities with very little effort on their own part. They saw magic as an easy way to gain renown, riches, or to otherwise further their own cause, entirely missing was magic was: it's own master, to be worked with, and not simply used like a blunt tool. Even now, the Bard was soaking up the attention, enjoying her cheap trick. The Half-Breed had a lot to learn: her human heritage could only excuse her so much…

* * *

Elantar had been travelling slightly ahead of the others. She walked back towards them motioning for everyone to pause.

"A fork in the road, about fifty feet ahead," she announced. Taran pulled out a map and identified the location.  
"We're here…" he said, pointing at a junction on the Dawn Way.  
"It's not labelled," Elantar stated. "Just runs into the hills according to this. Do you have that Spyglass?" she asked, fixing Taldir with a firm glare and extending a hand. Taldir looked back for a few seconds before taking Koth's sack from his shoulder. He'd been carrying the equipment they'd found on the Bugbear Sorceror, and thought he'd laid claim to it all. The Spyglass would be of more use to everyone in Elantar's possession though, so he handed it over. Only the Spyglass, though.

They approached the junction in the road, and Elantar moved ahead for a look, adjusting her new tool. Taran insisted on going with her, much to the Rogue's annoyance, but she relented. It was about ten minutes before they returned, without much news, but discussing their findings heatedly.

"You said that Forest Giants were master artisans," Elantan insisted. "They wouldn't have constructed anything that shabby."  
"There's every chance that these Forest Giants are not expert builders…" Taran responded. "It was definitely Forest Giant architecture, but perhaps they're aged and don't have the skills they once did?"  
"Far more likely that it's the Red Hand trying to disguise somewhere they're holed-up," Elantar claimed. "In any case, we don't know how long this will cost us; we need to reach Skull Gorge today."  
"She's right," Gravak insisted. She was, Taldir agreed silently. With no real idea how long they had before the main invasion force reached the bridge, they would need to get there as soon as they could.  
"How about checking this other path on the way back?" Arden suggested.  
"Agreed," Taldir stated bluntly. "If there are Forest Giants there, I'd be curious to meet them. But if they're there, they'll wait. Taran?" he glared at the inferior Wizard, daring him to disagree. Taran nodded meekly, and they all continued the journey north.


	9. Chapter 9

*** IV ***

"I'd say about three-hundred feet," Elantar declared. She had been slow to answer; taking her time to give what sounded a reasonable estimate. The bridge that spanned Skull Gorge was long, that was all Taldir knew. He cared little for a numerical value to the length, but knew some of the others would want to know. Taldir could tell, even at this distance, that some of his more offensive spells would easily reach the other side.

"Most of the Red Hand are at the far end," the Rogue continued. "About two dozen, half of them armed with longbows. A pair of towers at each end - they look pretty much identical – that could hold more though. Just the two Hellhounds at this end, as far as I can see."  
"We should draw them to the near side, somehow," Boshley observed. "Trying to fight our way across that bridge won't be easy."  
"Hold on," Elantar said, before pausing infuriatingly. She turned a dial on the spyglass, before taking it away from her eye. She stared blankly ahead.  
"Well?" Taldir snapped.  
"Dragon…" she responded. "Green; on top of one of the towers at the far end."

* * *

Taldir had come up with their plan of attack, and he looked on as Arden obediently brandished her Wand of Silence, striking the ground between the pair of hounds and leaving both of them mute. They hoped to dispatch them both quickly and gain a firm hold on the near end of the bridge before they were noticed, but the party's charge across the open ground had caught the attention of watchers on the far side of the gorge.

Buttercup out-ran them all, slicing into the first of the beasts and neatly dispatching it in one blow. The rest of the party moved to join her, but Taldir's attention was on the far side. Despite the distance, he could see a number of bodies forming up to head across the bridge, and several others readying bows for a volley of shots. Thinking quickly, he unleashed a Fireball, decimating the formation of Archers and leaving only a few standing. Unperturbed, the remaining enemy loosed their bows at him. Even at this range, one arrow found its mark and embedded itself in Taldir's shoulder. He grimaced, and fell in behind the wall of the nearest tower.

"Their archers are good!" he called in warning to the others, but their attention was elsewhere.

O-O-O

The Dragon had taken flight, and was fast approaching. It wasn't particularly large; its body looked about the size of Gravak, but its wing span still made it look intimidating. This was the closest that Elantar had ever been to a Dragon, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that Green Dragons breathed acidic clouds and, despite its size, she knew that this would almost certainly make it deadly.

"Spread out!" she called. Boshley, having dispatched the last of the two hounds, dived for the cover of one of the towers and shoved his way through the door. Gravak was close behind him, and Arden almost made it inside the second one just as the Dragon arrived.

It unleashed a thick cloud of noxious gas from its snout, and several of her companions keeled over. Elantar and Arden both fell to the ground choking; Coralyn reeled, on her knees with tears in her eyes; Buttercup looked in considerable pain; Taran lay quiet and looked worryingly still.

Her throat burned. Elantar crawled into the questionable shelter of the tower, pulling Arden in behind her.  
"Taran's dead!" the Bard shouted. Elantar nodded slowly, and reached for two healing potions. Drinking them, the pair felt slightly invigorated, if a little weak still. "I have to go back out," Arden declared.  
"Are you mad?" Elantar asked. "You need to recover first!"  
"Coralyn's still out there!" she demanded, and slipped back out into the open. Elantar, shamed by her courage, looked outside to see the Dragon's position. It was going to be tough to bring down while it was in the air, but it was circling close to the other tower, where Gravak had just emerged onto the roof. She sprinted across the open ground, through the door, and quickly ascended the stair inside.

O-O-O

Taldir's first reaction was to feel relieved; he thanked the gods that he had not been standing with the others. Taran's lifeless form began to concern him though. The Apprentice may not have been much to speak of, but he still hated to see Elven life go to waste like that. Coralyn was struggling, but there was no way Taldir was rushing across beneath the Dragon to help her out.

Arden made a sudden dash out of the cover of the opposite tower, making directly for the healer. The Dragon noticed too, and began to turn in the air, screeching at the swift-moving Bard. The Wizard reacted just in time, sending thick grey strands at the beast that trapped its wings to its body. It plummeted to the ground.

O-O-O

"Coralyn!" Arden screamed, stumbling to a halt in front of her.  
"I'm fine…" she responded, waving her off. Coralyn's hands glowed with white light, which slowly spread over her body. She sprang to her feet, and turned her attention to Taran.  
"Is there anything you can do for him?" Arden asked. There was a pause, while Coralyn examined his body.  
"He's still alive!" she exclaimed.  
"What!?" Arden responded with surprise  
"Barely, but he's still there," she beamed. I'll just need a few seconds to stabilise him. He was very nearly beyond my help."

Arden drew another healing potion. Now that she knew Coralyn was safe, and even Taran somehow, she turned her thoughts back to her own health. Buttercup was flagging, but had engaged the Dragon that lay struggling against its bonds. Everybody was taking care to stay away from its head.

Boshley, riding his Badger, emerged from one of the towers, closely followed by Gravak. They both fell silent as they moved through the area affected by Arden's spell. Buttercup and the Dragon were both inside this too; she suddenly realised why there had been no accompanying sound to the Barbarian's sword thrusts, nor the Dragon's screams. She couldn't tell whether it was in pain or simply frustrated by its bonds.

O-O-O

Boshley stood guard on the near side of the bridge as the enemy phalanx approached. They were still over a hundred feet away, but Elantar trusted that, when they arrived, Boshley would hold them where he stood.

While she admired Taldir's work immobilising the Dragon, it was frustrating that she'd ascended the tower to engage it, only to see it now lying prone twenty-five feet below her. She returned to the ground, taking in another healing potion on the way. Her stock was now beginning to run low.

When she emerged back at ground level, she was shocked to see Taran sitting up breathing deeply. She had been convinced he was finished. Coralyn advanced and lay a hand on Buttercup as she repeatedly swung her new Greatsword at the Dragon. The Barbarian was breathing very heavily after the Dragon's breath attack, but looked immediately rejuvenated at the girl's touch. Elantar drew her swords and moved to add her own blows to Buttercup's.

As she advanced, she noticed that Arden's silence spell was still active on the area. Elantar looked the Dragon in the eyes, and was surprised to see a pleading look in them. It had stopped thrashing against its bonds and lashing out with its claws; instead, it looked like it was trying to speak, but was thwarted by the enforced silence. She briefly looked around at her companions: at Taran slowly beginning to recover; at Arden, who'd risked her life to help Coralyn, who, in turn, had presumably revived Taran; at Boshley, who awaited the oncoming Red Hand soldiers. She didn't care what the Dragon wanted to say, and swiftly plunged a sword into its eye socket.

O-O-O

There were eight heavily armed Hobgoblins closing down on him, but Boshley stood firm. They may all stand twice as tall as him, but none would pass off of this bridge while he still stood.

Having said that, he was grateful, if a little unnerved, for the support of the skeletal Dire Wolf under Gravak's thrall that stood beside him. It was somehow comforting to know that this disturbing aberrance was going to be on his side in the coming battle. Buttercup joined him at his other shoulder, and he felt even more confident. They had come here to destroy this bridge and thwart, or at least delay, the coming invasion. But there were enemies to deal with first.

Arrows fell among them, but caused no harm. There were still several enemy on the far side of the gorge loosing ineffectual volleys at them. Most of them scattered around on the floor, or had bounced harmlessly off of Boshley's armour.

As the enemy closed, Buttercup charged out to meet them, felling one with the first swing of her sword. Gravak's minion and Boshley advanced to join her, setting about the enemy. Arden gave a call in Elvish from somewhere behind, and then gave a celebratory " _whoop_!" as two of the Hobgoblins started wrestling each other. One had tried to stab the other in the back.

All of Boshley's companions were now involved in the fight in one-way or another, and soon enough the enemy were whittled down. The two fighting among themselves had stopped only when the one who had fallen under Arden's spell had been pushed over the side of the bridge, and deep into the ravine beneath them. Buttercup quickly dispatched the winner of this bout, and only one remained.

O-O-O

"Surrender?" the Gnome asked. It glared at him, and then threw down its spear in response, its shield clattering to the ground shortly afterwards. Buttercup immediately took flight and sprinted across the bridge, dodging incoming arrows as she advanced. This was a wise move by Boshley, Taldir observed. This one had seemed to be giving orders, and was likely to know more about the coming invasion than one of its subordinates.

"I have a proposition for you," Boshley announced, as he began to pace, swinging his sword gently from side-to-side. "Fight me one-on-one: if I win, you tell us all you know about the Red Hand."  
"An' if I win?" he asked back.  
"You won't," Gravak declared. The Hobgoblin hissed at him, and looked back to Boshley.  
"If you win," the Gnome continued, "we escort you to the far side of the bridge, take your weapons and let you go anywhere you like. Anywhere except back across the Gorge."  
"Do I 'ave a choice?" he asked. "Seems like I do dat, or ya kill me anyway."  
"He's catching on…" Elantar said.

Boshley gestured for the Hobgoblin to re-arm himself, and everybody stepped back. The Gnome took a couple of practice swings with his sword, and begun to hum a tune to himself. Arden picked up on this after a couple of times through, and began to play it on her flute instead, improvising a run of notes at the end of each phrase.

The two circled for a few seconds before Boshley sprang forwards; the Hobgoblin braced his spear against his foot to receive the charge, but the Gnome simply swatted this aside with his tower shield, before lunging with his sword, catching a blow on his enemy's shoulder. The Hobgoblin growled with pain, and repositioned himself, holding his shield slightly higher. Every thrust he made with his spear was turned aside by the Gnome, and almost every swing of Boshley's sword connected, until the Hobgoblin finally sunk to his knees defeated.

"Alrigh'…" he breathed. "What you wanna know?"  
"That can wait for later," Arden declared decisively. Buttercup had finished off the archers, and was jogging back across the bridge.  
"I'll secure him," said Gravak, retrieving a pair of manacles that he'd picked up in Vraath Keep.

Elantar and Boshley crossed the bridge again with Buttercup to have a proper search of the other side, and to bring back all that they could carry.

O-O-O

"I'm going to climb up and have a decent search of the Dragon's nest," Elantar told the other two as they reached the towers on the far side. "I hear that Dragons hoard what treasures they can; there'll hopefully be something useful for us."

She scaled the outside, reached the top, and swung over the ruined parapet. The smell was not particularly pleasant, making the task of sifting through straw and discarded bones even less so. She managed to find a few small pouches containing coins and gems, along with a handful of potions; she'd get Taldir to have a look at these when they returned.

Not so long ago, she'd have skimmed from the coins and precious stones, and hidden them away for herself. She knew that no one could see her where she was, and it'd be easy enough to get away with. She was growing fond of her companions though, and no longer felt any desire to cheat them.

She returned to the ground, and headed over to the camp where Buttercup and Boshley were removing armour from their slain enemies. Several of the corpses were no more than charred skeletons now, and she stared wide-eyed at the destruction of Taldir's fireball. Their armour would still be perfectly workable after a good clean. The rest of the corpses laid hewn, with open wounds spilling blood out onto the earth; presumably Buttercup's work. Some of the armour from these fighters would need extensive repair work to make it useable again. Elantar reflected that she'd made some powerful allies.

"It's almost a shame for these guys that they didn't lay down their weapons," Boshley announced, grimacing as a stream of crimson erupted from the corpse he was removing a breastplate from. Buttercup nodded in agreement: it seemed that Elantar was arriving part way through a conversation.  
"They would'n surrenda," Buttercup answered, "jus' kept tryin' a stab me."

Elantar moved to help them salvage the enemy equipment. Like the others they had met so far, all of the weapons and armour that they could find was extremely well crafted, and would be valuable to an arms dealer, especially with a war seemingly approaching. When they had returned across the bridge, Boshley seemed to have other ideas though.

"I've been thinking; all this good equipment that we're finding…" he announced to the group, "we should give it all to Soranna when we return to Drellin's Ferry, like the stuff we found two nights ago. She could do with improving their armoury."  
"I'm pretty sure that one of the important reasons people like us wander the world," Arden answered, "is to kill dangerous monsters, nick their stuff and get rich. If not… how did we all get here?"  
"She has a point," Taldir agreed. Buttercup shook her head.  
"I'm no expert on weapons," Arden continued, picking up a Longsword as she did so, and struggling with its weight," but this stuff seems to be worth a fortune.  
"Remember Torlynn?" Boshley asked. "Taking no payment was the right thing to do then… and it's the right thing to do now as well!"  
"This is different…" Arden responded.  
"We shud give 'em the stuff," Buttercup insisted.  
"They're not paying us for this job…" Taran observed. "And it's not exactly without risk. Still…" the Wizard continued, standing and stretching out, "we've found a decent treasure haul here, and at Vraath Keep without needing to sell all this armour. And these Dragon scales will fetch a lot of gold if we skin it."

"We can discuss it on the road tomorrow," Gravak said, attempting to end the discussion for now. "We should make camp for the night here, rise early and try to make it back to Drellin's Ferry by nightfall tomorrow."  
"What did the prisoner have to say for himself?" Boshley asked.  
"We haven't questioned it yet," Taldir replied. "It's a little sore after its defeat; Arden wanted to let it cool off."  
"I'm pretty sure it's a _he_ ," the Bard responded. "I'll head over in a few minutes. What do we want to know?"  
"We should show him the map," Elantar answered. "Get him to make sense of the timing."  
"Agreed," Taldir declared. "I've translated the notes, but without knowing when they started counting it's not of much use."

They all approached the prisoner together.  
"Are you going to use your charm spell again?" Gravak asked Arden.  
"He said he'd co-operate," she answered with a shrug. "I'll try that first, and force it out if I have to. In a friendly way, of course."

"Ready, are ya?" the Hobgoblin asked when they were near enough. He was manacled with his hands behind his back, and tied to a tree on the edge of the clearing. Elantar checked his bonds, and saw that the Cleric had done a good enough job at securing their prisoner.

"What can you tell us about this map?" Taldir asked, showing him the parchment.  
"Where'd ya get it?" he countered. "Ya kill Koth? Makes sense… woulda passed 'iz lot on the way 'ere I s'pose..."  
"The map…" Taldir repeated impatiently.  
"Yeah… all the Wyrmlords 'ad one. Koth was the newest. He had to 'old that Keep ta prove 'imself, see?"  
"Wyrmlord?" Gravak asked.  
"Azzar-Kul's faveritts… 'is kommandas. Koth was in charge of the keep dere. That ryttin… says ' _Koth's Base_ '."  
"I can read, scum…" Taldir replied. The Hobgoblin spat at him.  
"I ain't sayin' nuffin more 'til dis pointy-ear clears out," he demanded. Taldir wiped saliva from his face and snarled at the prisoner.  
"I'm going nowhere," he demanded. "You bought your life with the promise of information. Now speak."

"Taldir…" Arden began, switching to the Elven tongue. "Go and sit down, I'll take care of this."  
"You need me to translate the map," he replied, staying with the same language. "This scum could make up anything…"  
"I can read the map," she responded. "If he lies, I'll know it."  
"You can understand Goblin?" he asked sceptically. She glared back at him in silence for a few seconds. He eventually gave in.  
"Fine," he said, waving everyone off. He retreated, but not far enough away that he couldn't hear the rest of the interrogation.

"So…" Arden continued, "these Wyrmlords… how many are there?"  
"Four," came the simple response.  
"Are you one?" Elantar asked. The prisoner laughed.  
"Nah… not yet," he responded, puffing out his chest.  
"But you were in charge here, weren't you?" Boshley asked.  
"Ozyrrandion was in charge 'ere," he replied, with a nod to the corpse of the Green Dragon. Everyone looked round, and all seemed to have the same thought. Taldir voiced it first.  
"Are any more Dragons fighting with The Red Hand?" he asked from where he sat. The prisoner growled, realising that Taldir was still part of the conversation, but answered anyway.  
"Four uvvas, I fink…" he responded.  
"Where?" Elantar demanded. She took out an inkpen and some parchment to note them down.  
"Dere's Abithriax, da red wun, an' Tyrgarun, wot's da bloo wun…" he replied, reluctantly. "Dere bofe in da mouwntins still."  
"Go on…" Elantar prompted.  
"Regiarix is da black wun wiv Saarvith in Rhest," he continued. "But dat's all I really know."  
"You promised…" Boshley reminded him. "We had a deal that you'd tell us _all_ you knew."  
"I am!" the prisoner insisted. "Ozyrrandion sed summink about anuvva wun, but I dunno where… Mite be wiv Ulwai at da Ghostlord's place…"  
"Ghostlord?" Gravak asked.  
"Yeah… Ulwai's keepin' an eye on 'im, wants ta make sure 'e delivvas…"

"OK…" Arden breathed. "Who's the Ghostlord, and what's he delivering?"  
"I dunno," he responded.  
"You're going to need to do better than that," Elantar said threateningly.  
"Nah, I mean it! Only da Wyrmlords and da Dragons know about dat. And Azzar Kul, of course," he responded desperately.

"So…" Arden recapped, "this Ulwai is one of the Wyrmlords, correct?"  
"Yeah," he responded.  
"Plus Koth The Deceased is two of four," she continued. "Who are the others?"  
"Hravek Kharn. E's wiv da main 'orde."  
"Three…" Arden counted.  
"An' Saarvith," the prisoner concluded.  
"With the Black Dragon?" Elantar asked, "in Rhest?"  
"Yeah."  
"What are they doing there?" Taldir called across.  
"Ozyrrandion sed dat they took da Ghostlord's fing dere," he replied. "But tha's all I know…"


	10. Chapter 10

*** X ***

The prisoner had provided them with a lot more information, but listening to him for so long had quickly become tiresome. They had managed to gather the locations and probable identities of several powerful enemies from the prisoner though. The Red Hand had spread out over an alarmingly wide distance. They also now had an idea of timescale; the main invasion force were not due at Skull Gorge for another ten days, meaning that they hadn't yet reached Day One according to Koth's map. They had also, if the prisoner was to be believed, an idea of the scale of the invasion. It did not look promising.

When they had got all that they could from him, they stopped questioning the prisoner. He pleaded for freedom, but they'd never let that happen.

"We'll take ya wiv us," Buttercup announced, attempting to sound reassuring. The Prisoner didn't take it that way. Elantar was going to advocate dropping him into Skull Gorge, but didn't fancy disagreeing with Buttercup so openly. She might just try finishing him off in the night.

They left Arden, Coralyn, Boshley and Taran to watch over the prisoner while the rest of them went to look at the bridge. It was an imposing structure. When they left Vraath Keep that morning, they'd planned to look into ways of bringing it down. Looking at the huge stone edifice now, that seemed laughable. Buttercup, undaunted, took a swing at one of the flagstones. A very small piece of rock flicked off. She shrugged, and re-sheathed her sword. Simple brute strength wouldn't get the job done.

"Any helpful spells?" Elantar asked Taldir and Gravak. They both shook their heads. Elantar walked out onto the bridge. She paced around for a couple of minutes, and returned to where Buttercup had swung her sword at the floor. She could barely see the damage that the Barbarian had inflicted. She looked up again to see Buttercup pushing at the side wall, to no avail.

Taldir stood thoughtfully, staring across the chasm. He glanced over at Elantar.  
"Look for a weak spot," he commanded, using Elvish. Gravak looked around quizzically.  
"A weak spot? On this?" Elantar scoffed. She stayed with his choice of language, curious as to why Taldir might want to hide their discussion.  
"It's an old bridge…" the Wizard stated, "and inferior Dwarven craftsmanship. There'll be a weak point…" he insisted. Taldir began to walk back and forth across the bridge, staring intently at the floor. Elantar wasn't sure where to even begin.  
"I don't know anything about construction…" she declared.  
"You're an intelligent girl…" he started. "Well… relatively," he added with a grin, and a side-long glance at Buttercup.

Elantar frowned, and pretended to look for an elusive weakness in the bridge's structure. It stubbornly remained as sturdy-looking as ever. She thought about it for a few minutes, and walked around to get a side-on view of the bridge. She had no special training in construction, and knew nothing of its theory, but she made an educated guess that the arches were providing strength to the structure. They certainly wouldn't be easy to build, and from what she knew of Dwarves, she'd expect them to make things for functionality rather than aesthetics. The bridge obviously wasn't a single piece of stone… Logically, it'd be weakest somewhere that different pieces were joined together. The largest separate sections were…  
"The towers," she said aloud. She returned to the nearest tower, and crouched to examine the blocks that had been laid together here.

Elantar ran her hand over the flagstones, and the smaller bricks that made up the structure. She took out a dagger, and poked between some of the spaces. One of the bricks was loose, and she exposed it by removing the dirt from around its edge, and managed to lever it out, followed quickly by another four. The loose bricks were hiding a long and heavy looking block that seemed to hold the main bridge structure onto the tower. It had a significant crack in it. She levered out more bricks, and exposed the crack in its entirety.

"Buttercup!" she called. The Barbarian approached, and was followed by Taldir and Gravak, who had both still been looking over the bridge.  
"See this crack?" Elantar asked. Buttercup nodded, and seemed to know what to do without any further instruction.  
"Good find…" Taldir nodded. Buttercup pulled out her Greatsword and swung it with force at the weak spot. A spray of stone leapt into the air, and the crack deepened. Buttercup grinned, and made to take another swing.

"Hold on!" Elantar demanded. "Your rope…" she added, holding out a hand. Buttercup frowned, but handed it over.  
"You're standing on the bridge still," Elantar pointed out. She tied one end of the rope around Buttercup's waist, and handed the coil to Gravak. He nodded, and tied it off against a tree, bracing it in between.  
"Pity…" Taldir said, using the Elvish tongue again. "I wanted to see if she'd notice." Elantar shook her head, and motioned for Buttercup to continue.

It wasn't a quick task. Buttercup hacked at the bridge for almost half an hour, but somehow didn't grow impatient. The prisoner could see what was going on, and had worked out their intentions. He laughed at first, but when Buttercup didn't stop swinging her sword, and with more and more stone being loosened, he soon quietened down. When the bridge eventually collapsed, he was deathly silent.

Gravak and Boshley helped Buttercup back out of the ravine after catching her with the rope. She grinned triumphantly, and accepted the applause of the party.

* * *

It had been a long day, and it was good to finally stop for the night. They camped within bow shot of Skull Gorge, but had retreated a little into the woods. This was the first time they'd needed to set a night watch since Eldarion left, and this bought its own problems. Most of the party needed at least eight hours rest if they were to be fully refreshed and able to fight the next day, but Elantar was now the only one who could get by on four. They would have to stop for at least twelve hours now if they were going to keep effective watch, which would make setting out early the next morning a problem. Elantar, along with Gravak, Coralyn and Taran all went to sleep as soon as they could. The rest would stay awake until Elantar awoke to take watch on her own.

The darkness was particularly deep tonight. There was a half-moon up, but significant cloud cover. Elantar, since waking to take watch, had been looking for light at the far side of the Gorge for a few hours now. There had been no sign of anyone from this distance, but she'd remembered about twenty minutes ago that Hobgoblins could see in the dark, and probably wouldn't bother carrying torches. Now she was willing the sun to rise quicker so that she could make sure.

"Any movement in the night?" It was Gravak, who'd woken first. She heard someone stirring, but had hoped it would be Taran who rose first. She hadn't properly had an opportunity to get an update from him on the research he was carrying out for her.  
"Nothing…" she answered. She looked around at him. "How's your night vision?"  
"Pretty good…" he answered. She explained her fear that Hobgoblins could have retaken the far side without light, and handed him the spyglass.  
"Nobody there…" he confirmed after looking for a minute or so. She didn't take this as definite confirmation, but it helped her to feel a little more at ease.

He sat down with her, wearing just a simple fur tunic. Elantar wouldn't have felt comfortable sleeping without her armour, but Gravak's was far too heavy to get any decent rest in. Boshley had to remove his to sleep too. She paused awkwardly. There was something that Elantar had been wondering about the Cleric for a couple of days now, but she wasn't quite sure how to bring it up with any subtlety.

"Do you have a problem with snakes?" she finally asked bluntly. Gravak looked around with an uncomfortable look about him.

"My home…" he responded slowly. When Elantar didn't react, he eventually continued. "Tontor was an ancient city; remote and isolated deep in the jungle quite a way south of Elsir Vale. There were a number of Half-Orcs there, and several other races too, all living peacefully amongst one another.

"Our stepped-stone temple walls showed carved images of various humanoids fighting serpent-like monsters; this was presumably part of our forgotten histories, as nobody alive knew what these monsters were, or had ever seen anything like it." Elantar found this a little strange at first, but imagined there must have been more to come. Gravak wouldn't hold irrational hatred of snakes because of some old pictures. After a short pause, he continued.

"As I'd said, we lived at peace, and the natural predators that filled the jungle meant that we had never feared any outsiders. We were protected, and self-sufficient… If we did need to leave the city, we had ways of subduing the beasts that protected us.

"One night, we were attacked without warning. It was, apparently, the same serpent-beasts from the carvings but bought to life. Their numbers seemed endless… and they ranged from humanoids with snake-like features, right up to huge, unstoppable serpents. They used powerful magic to smash the walls, and flooded in, killing the population indiscriminately. Some tried to escape the city, but were cut down… None got away alive.

"I stood among those that fought back, but we didn't stand a chance against the overwhelming force that we faced. I was eventually separated from my allies, and backed into one of the temples where, seriously wounded, I prepared to make a final stand.

"I still remember it clearly…" Gravak closed his eyes and paused for a few seconds before continuing. "A huge serpent made a snap at me, and I somehow cracked its skull open with my mace. At first, I thought I'd overbalanced with my swing, but it turned out that the floor had collapsed beneath me as I struck its head. I fell, amongst the loose stone of the temple into darkness… I must have fallen over a hundred feet… I braced myself for impact, expecting to eventually hit the bottom, but I was not at all prepared to hit water. I think I passed out for a few minutes then… I wasn't wearing the armour that I have now, so mercifully, I floated to the surface.

"I awoke to find that I was riding an underground river, and was being carried downstream. I was in total darkness, but could still see enough, and more of the same sort of carvings that we had in our temples taunted me from the cavern walls." Gravak glanced up, but Elantar didn't respond verbally. After a few more seconds of silence, he carried on.

"The river eventually surfaced several miles outside of the city. I lay broken on the riverbank for a couple of hours. I eventually gathered my thoughts, and a little strength… I vowed to myself at that moment that I would one day return to Tontor to cleanse it of all Serpents, and to see the city restored. Just as I did, I found my strength returning, and discovered that I was able to use some weak magic to begin healing myself. I've travelled around ever since, learning what I can about my own power, and finding out what I could about the invaders…

"They're called Yuan-Ti; a mixture of human and snake bloodlines. I…" he paused, and shook his head. "I hate them. Them, and all serpents."

"So…" Elantar braved, "when you saw the Hydra a couple of days ago…"  
"I was mistaken," he shrugged. "I'm grateful that Taldir thought quickly and got us out of trouble… It shouldn't have been necessary though. I should have been more careful… I _will_ be, in future."

There were a few more moments of silence before either of them spoke again. "What about you?" Gravak asked her. Elantar winced. Gravak had shared a lot that was clearly very personal though. "You've not mentioned anything of your home… Not even its name, I don't think." Reluctant as she was, Elantar felt that it'd be dishonourable to keep the information from him now, after what he'd shared.

"Khirin Alithenen… That's its name." The Cleric nodded slowly for a couple of seconds and then stopped abruptly.  
"I've never heard of it," he stated bluntly.  
"We came close to it not that long ago…" she responded. "It's a few days north of the Eisenmond Mine, amongst the northern foothills of the Giantshield mountains."  
"You didn't want to visit when we were there?" he asked.  
"I'm…" she began, not knowing quite how to explain it, "I can't ever go back. I'm banished."  
"I'm sorry to hear that…" Gravak responded sympathetically.  
"Don't be," Elantar replied, "I'm much better off out of there."  
"So…" Gravak began, "one of us had our home taken from us and desperately wants it back… And the other celebrates being forced out?"  
"Something like that…" she responded.  
"I can't imagine feeling that way about Tontor…" he continued, "living in… Kirrin?"  
"Khirin Alithenen," she answered.  
"Right…" he continued. "Living there must have been particularly unpleasant. Why does anyone stay?" Elantar appraised him briefly, but judged that he was genuinely baffled.  
"It's not unpleasant for everybody," she continued. "Those in power and favour have a very easy and enjoyable life."  
"You were… a criminal?" Gravak asked. She shook her head in response. "Forgive me…" he added. "You mentioned being an exile?"  
"Not for anything that I did," she replied.

"My parents were executed as traitors when I was very young. I never knew them."  
"I'm sorry…" Gravak said sympathetically. "I can understand why you haven't told this to any of us," he added.  
"It's OK…" she stated. "Taran knows a little of it; he and Eldrann have been looking for word of them amongst the information we found up north."  
"You… you don't know what they did?" he asked.  
"No…" she replied, and paused. "The King rules tyrannically," she continued, "I like to think that they were trying to overthrow him. Something worthwhile, at least…"

"What were their names?" Gravak asked. Elantar didn't answer. Instead, she stood and drew her swords.  
"What is it?" Gravak asked, also taking his feet, and looking to the far bank.  
"No… nothing like that," she answered. "These belonged to my mother and father." She held the weapons out to him, hilt-first. "I took them the night that I left, and had their names engraved on the blades in Dennovar."  
"I see…" the Cleric responded. "I cannot read this script though," he added.  
"Elvish runes," she replied. She took one of her swords back and pointed out the lettering on it. "Neririeth, my mother." She re-sheathed it, and took the other back from the half-Orc. "Yinneiros, my father," she explained.

"I find it strange," the Cleric continued after a brief pause, "that you could be told their names, but not their crimes."  
"I wasn't ever supposed to know their names," Elantar explained. "Not even my own." The Cleric raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I was called Ilmerne, which in our tongue means ' _Unwanted_ '. It's the name that goes with these scars," she said, pointing out the two deep gouges on her face. "Children of traitors get marked in this way, and turned out of the land when they come of age. That was only a few months ago."

"So… you're still young by your kind's reckoning?" he asked.  
"Yes; one-hundred and eleven years," she replied.

"How did you find out your name?" Gravak asked. "It is the one your parents gave you"? She paused silently for a few seconds. She had been surprised at how liberating it felt to share this information, but she wasn't sure how much more she wanted to say.  
"I had an appointed watcher; each Ilmerne had one," she finally said. "They are supposed to teach us some basic survival skills, and make sure we are obedient." She paused again, considering how much to reveal. "We do not have the same freedoms as the rest of the people. We're taught that we're barely even people at all.

"My watcher was called Celal; he was very harsh with me for the first sixty years or so. His previous charge had, by all accounts, been difficult to deal with, and he was determined that I'd be easier work.

"He softened eventually… I was a much easier task than he'd had before, and he began to take a liking to me; taught me more than he was supposed to, and wanted to see me succeed when I eventually left Khirin Alithenen. It still took a few years for him to reveal anything that he shouldn't though. Eventually, eight or nine years before I was due to leave, he told me my parents' names, and the one they'd chosen for me. I'd have my own choice of name after exile, but I was determined to be true to them.

"I was stupid… when asked about my plans for after I left, I let the name slip. They worked out that Celal had given me the information… They cut out his tongue and ejected him from the kingdom. I've hated myself for that slip up ever since."

Gravak looked sympathetically at her for a few silent seconds. "Arden… Boshley… Coralyn… You should tell them," he announced.  
"No," she responded simply.  
"It would help them understand. You frustrate them with how insular you are, but they'd understand if they knew your story."  
"I don't need their pity!" she snapped. "Or yours… this goes no further. Understood?"  
"Of course… there's no need to be angry," he growled.  
"I'm sorry…" she responded. "I've never told anyone that much of it before. I may tell the rest of them one day, but it'll be when I'm ready."

* * *

Getting back to Drellin's Ferry in one day was ambitious. They had spent most of two days travelling north to get as far as Skull Gorge, but time was very much pressing. With this in mind, they reluctantly decided not to investigate the diversion that may have led to a Forest Giant settlement. They hoped that, whatever was there, it would not have a negative impact on the defence of the Elsir Vale.

They spread out all of the Red Hand weapons and armour that they could manage, loading up their mounts as well. The Red Hand Sergeant that they had taken prisoner was made to carry a heavy pack too. The load was not particularly demanding until they reached Vraath Keep, where they loaded up more equipment. They hoped that Soranna would be grateful for the efforts that they were going to…

They were long into the afternoon, and about ready to dump some of the extra gear that they were carrying when they came back to the site of their battle with the Hydra. The road had been surprisingly quiet so far, to everybody's relief. Gravak paused his horse, and stood looking at the cart partially submerged in the bog.

"Keep moving, Cleric," Taldir called back to him. "It'll be sunset soon enough."  
"Hold on…" Gravak replied. "Everybody hold on!" he repeated, a little louder. Everybody stopped, dismounted, and dropped their packs to the floor. There were several sighs of relief.

Gravak dismounted too, waded out into the swamp, and touched his hand to the cart. It vibrated for a few seconds, before several cracking sounds could be heard, and the cart began to rise. A wheel that had lay discarded flew suddenly back into place, and before long, the cart was whole again.

"Throw me a rope," Gravak called. Elantar responded, quickest, opening Buttercup's pack and snatching the rope from on top of it.  
"Oi!" she shouted, and grabbed at Elantar, who dodged aside, and uncoiled the rope.  
"We're taking the cart with us," she explained to Buttercup.  
"Oh…" she responded.  
"Can you throw this end to Gravak?" Elantar asked. Buttercup nodded with understanding. She took the other end, and tied it to Gravak's horse. It looked around unhappily at her.  
"You'll be happier after, I promise," she whispered to it. She dropped the saddle packs from it to help, and it stood stronger.

Within twenty minutes, they were back on the road, all carrying much lighter packs. Two of the horses were now pulling the cart, but were finding this much easier than the heavy loads they carried before. They switched the horses every couple of hours to keep them fresh; overall they were able to make much quicker time.

It was after midnight when they arrived back at Drellin's Ferry.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes:**

John dropped us in an Easter Egg in the shape of a named NPC that was too good to not play around with.

Unfortunately, Melissa couldn't make this session, and I was playing as Arden at the time. These are not the sort of scenes I imagined roleplaying with an old friend…

 *** XI ***

"Really," Arden began, "this could probably have waited until the morning."  
"Nonsense!" Wiston replied. "As soon as everyone's here, we'll hear your news. Captain, how long are they going to be?"  
"They're already late…" Soranna responded. "Ah; here's Shadowbanks now."

A Halfling entered, who Arden had not seen before. She registered some recognition on his face when he saw Boshley though.

"Kellin!" Boshley called, taking his feet again and approaching the newcomer, the floor creaking beneath him as he moved around the room. Elantar's head snapped around in irritation, which was a little unnecessary; they'd all noticed the noisy floor as they walked in.

"This is Kellin Shadowbanks," Boshley announced. "He owns an Inn on the edge of town, I recommend the Cider!"  
"Haha! Thank you for your endorsement Boshley," he responded with a smile. "Good to meet you all," he added. "Although I wish the circumstances could have been happier…" he said with a polite bow. "Taran, it's good to see you again," he added, accepting a handshake from the Elf.

Kellin, Taran, Boshley and Wiston all took seats around the Speaker's conference table, all of them causing the floorboards to creak and crack with every step. Elantar furiously ground her teeth.  
"What's the matter?" Arden snapped at her in a whisper.  
"Nothing…" she lied in response. Arden put it down to her needing a good rest: they could all do with that, and she'd meant it when she tried to encourage Wiston to wait for the morning. Most of her companions had sided with him though, seeing it as urgent that they shared their findings.

"Who else have you dragged out of bed for this?" Arden asked. Shadowbanks had been the second stranger to enter the room, joining Iormel, an older Human male who was a trader and owned a large warehouse on the western bank. All Arden had heard about him before now was from children of the town who were afraid of him; or more specifically, afraid of his dogs. Iormel had remained pretty quiet so far, and didn't look especially friendly.  
"Just one more," Wiston replied.

"She's here," Soranna added after a few moments, and went to the door. Elantar glared after the Captain when the floor hadn't stayed silent for her either.  
"Is it a headache?" Arden pressed. Elantar made no response at all. Arden fell back into her chair and folded her arms.

"Do you have any idea of the time Wiston?" the newcomer demanded as she entered. The first thing that Arden picked up was the scent of horse that preceded her. She cut an imposing figure as she strode across the room though; she was built only a little smaller than Buttercup. Her grey-blonde hair told of several years behind her.  
"Delara, please sit down; there is important news to be shared," Wiston gestured.  
"And it couldn't wait until a more reasonable hour?" she demanded. Arden liked her already.

"This is Delara Zann, owner of Drellin's Ferry's largest stable," Soranna said in introduction. "She used to be in your line of work though…" she added. Delara moved around to the final vacant seat, and Elantar predictably glared at her for daring to make the floor creak again.

"What's the matter with this one?" she asked, gesturing towards Elantar, who sat impassive.  
"It's not personal, we're all getting that tonight," Arden answered. "Wiston; can we get this over with? We were all dead on our feet when we got here, and sleep can't come soon enough."  
"Fine," he answered. "Why don't you start: what have you been up to over the last three days?"

"So…" Arden began. She paused, and quickly decided to take her feet. She began to pace the room; partly to annoy Elantar, but mostly because people listened to her better when she didn't stay still. She would be keeping to the short version of the story tonight though: there was always time for embellishments later.

"The Red Hand occupied Vraath Keep; a fair few of them there. They put up a strong defence, but we dealt with them easily enough…" Kellin Shadowbanks gave a short burst of applause, before realising that he was alone. He stopped quickly, and grinned at Boshley instead.  
"How many Hobgoblins?" Soranna asked.  
"Thirteen," Arden replied. Soranna made a quick count of the room, and raised her eyebrows.  
"Eight of you assaulted a Keep with a prepared defence, and killed thirteen?" she asked.  
"Oh; no…" Arden began. "Thirteen Hobgoblins. There were also two Manticores, two Dire Wolves, err…"  
"A couple of Goblin archers," Gravak added.  
"A Minotaur!" Boshley chipped in.  
"And a Bugbear Sorcerer," Elantar added quietly, cleaning her fingernails with the same blood-stained dagger. Arden shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

Soranna's eyes widened as she looked around the room. " _We've won this one over_ …" Arden thought silently to herself.  
"So… it's more than just Hobgoblins we're facing…" Wiston observed.  
"What do you know of them?" Soranna asked. She lifted an ink pen to some parchment on the table.  
"Taldir," Arden said, "show them the map," she added with a flourish, and pirouetted back into her seat.

"The Sorcerer had this in a Bag of Holding," Taldir announced as he unfurled the scroll. "I can translate this Goblin writing for you onto a fresh map if you have one. I don't expect anybody else here would be able to do so…" Soranna nodded her thanks, and looked over Taldir's shoulder, the floor creaking beneath her as she moved. Soranna frowned towards Elantar as the Rogue glared at her.  
"The main invasion was expected to reach Drellin's Ferry in eleven days' time, according to the prisoner that we interrogated," Taldir explained, pointing to the town on Koth's map.  
"The one you bought back?" Soranna asked.  
"That's right," he nodded.  
"Klur," Buttercup stated.  
"Pardon?" Taldir asked.  
"'Iz name's Klur." Buttercup insisted.  
"OK…" Taldir responded, with a roll of his eyes.

"As I was saying" he continued. "The invasion was due to reach Drellin's Ferry in eleven days, but we have probably bought some more time after destroying the bridge at Skull Gorge."  
"You destroyed the bridge?!" Wiston gasped. "We rely on that for our livelihood!"  
"Unless you deal with this invasion, your town has no future," Elantar snapped irritably. "See off The Red Hand, then you can rebuild it."  
"She's right," Arden stressed. "By making the invasion force divert via the mountains, we've bought you a few more days to evacuate."

"You really think we should evacuate?" Iormel asked. "I'm not prepared to give up our homes so easily. We've worked hard to build… a community here."  
"Indeed!" Kellin Shadowbanks added. "Have we thought any more on negotiating with them?" he asked, directing his question to Wiston. The speaker looked on, flustered.  
"That won't work," Gravak insisted flatly. "They're fanatical worshippers of Tiamat, and bent only on conquering and settling the land that you live in. The attack needs to be repelled." A firm thud of his fist on the table punctuated this last word, making the cups that they'd been served with rattle. "The scale of the invasion is going to be overwhelming: winning this war will not be easy, and you will need aid." Delara Zann nodded appreciatively at this rather bleak assessment.  
"I've seen towns put to the sword before," she explained. "Remaining to face an invasion of such magnitude leaves us with the options of death or enslavement… I choose to flee, and you'd all do well to do likewise."

"Look," Iormel began, straightening up in his chair as he did so, "letting this town fall without a fight disgusts me. The slightest rumour of a threat from these savages, and you'd see us give it all up?" Zann closed her eyes and shook her head, mouthing something under her breath. "I say we prepare to defend the town and see them off at the borders!" he added with gusto. Many around the table shifted uncomfortably at this suggestion, but Elantar nodded in agreement.

"I think Soranna had it right when we arrived," she announced. "The river's a good position to mount a defence. We can prevent them crossing, and stop any of them even setting foot in Elsir Vale."  
"Stupid girl…" Taldir spat in Elvish. Elantar, who had been clearly irritated all night, launched herself across the table at Taldir, but found him too far away for her swinging fist to connect with. Everybody was suddenly on their feet, with Buttercup effortlessly hauling Elantar off of the table and back to her seat with one hand.

"How about we show a bit of composure?" Arden insisted, directing a glare in Elantar's direction. The Bard had been doing well to talk them all up in front of the town's notable people, but Elantar seemed to be working hard to destroy all of her good work. Taldir grinned across at the Rogue, who snapped her vision away from him.

"What I meant was," Taldir continued, "we have no chance whatsoever of holding this invasion at the borders: it's madness to think otherwise. If that is your decision," he looked around the room at each person, "then I will be gone by sunrise." This bought a frown from Iormel, but a gentle nod of respect from Delara Zann.

"Just how big is this invasion force?" Soranna asked.  
"We don't know for absolute certain," Arden replied, "but we're looking at several thousand Hobgoblins, at least." She paused, intending to let that sink in, but Boshley chimed in with the additional likely enemies just a little too soon.  
"Not to mention the Dragons and other monsters that they're working with!" he squeaked.  
"Dragons?" two or three voices asked in unison.  
"Yes," Arden confirmed. "Thank you Boshley…" she added, with just a hint of irritation.

"According to our prisoner," she continued, resuming her pacing of the room as she did so, "there were five Dragons allied to the Red Hand."  
"Four now!" Boshley interrupted again. Arden gritted her teeth, and shot him a glare.  
"Yes, thank you again Boshley…" she responded, convinced that the story would sound better if he'd just let her get on with it.  
"As Boshley has suggested," she continued, "we managed to kill one of the Red Hand's Dragons."  
"You didn't mention this in your previous list," Soranna observed.  
"This wasn't at Vraath Keep," Arden responded, "but further North at Skull Gorge."

"I would have died there if it wasn't for Coralyn," Taran interrupted, with a smile to the Healer.  
"You showed great courage," she replied and returned the gesture. "It was a Green Dragon," Coralyn continued; "still quite young. It flew directly at us and breathed an acid cloud over several of us grouped together." Arden was initially irked by the interruption, but decided to let Coralyn continue. She retook her seat, drawing more irritated glares from Elantar as the floor creaked beneath her.

"Elantar called for us to spread out," she resumed, "and a few of us managed to get under cover of the towers, but most of us were hurt by the fumes; I remember it being quite a struggle to breathe…"  
"I don't remember most of this," Taran added. "Just seeing the Dragon flying across the chasm, and then Coralyn reviving me. When I awoke, the Dragon was immobilised, which I believe was Taldir's work, and being cut to pieces by the rest. I think it was Elantar that executed the final blow."

"Was there any other resistance there?" Soranna asked.  
"Yeah," Buttercup answered. "A coupla Ghosdoggs, anna lowd of 'Obgoblins."  
"Ghosdoggs?" Wiston asked.  
"Hellhounds…" Taldir translated.

"And how many Hobgoblins there?" Soranna asked, still taking down notes.  
"About two dozen," Arden replied. "Boshley held a lot of them at the near side of the bridge," she added.  
"Not quite alone!" Boshley beamed. "Buttercup and Gravak's Wolf Sk..."  
"Boshley!" Coralyn interrupted firmly. Knowing how much Coralyn disagreed with Gravak's dabbling in Necromancy, Arden appreciated her loyalty to him at this point. Not to mention her quick thinking. Boshley caught on fast too.  
"Right," he continued. "Buttercup and Gravak stood with me…" The five representatives of the town looked confused for a moment, with questions poised, so Arden gave them something else to think about.

"The only survivor was the prisoner we bought back," she said in diversion.  
"Klur…" Buttercup added. Arden nodded an apology.  
"How did you get the information from him?" Zarr asked. "Can you trust it?" she added.  
"Honour!" Boshley declared. "We duelled; answering our questions was his side of the wager, and he lost."  
"And you trust the information because of that?" Wiston asked.  
"He seems a decent fellow actually…" Boshley replied.  
"He's a Hobgoblin," Iormel reminded the Gnome sternly.  
"Don' mean nuthin…" Buttercup declared with a growl. Iormel shrank involuntarily, and quickly changed the subject.

"So, you're convinced that the force heading for the Vale is too strong to hold here…" he ventured, picking up an earlier thread.  
"That's right," Arden confirmed. "This army has been recruited specifically to conquer and settle Elsir Vale, and is large enough to achieve just that."

"To stay and fight here would be suicide," Taldir underlined, with a sidelong glance at Elantar. The Rogue took to her feet in response, and Taldir flinched away, but soon changed his gesture to relief when she picked up her pack and headed towards the door.

"This is taking far too long," she declared. "Let me know what you decide in the morning, and I'll go along with it." She had just opened the door when Arden had a moment of sudden realisation and stopped her.

"Hold on!" she called. "We've missed something important here…" Elantar paused and turned back to the room. "Why is it, that when Elantar walks across this floor it remains silent, but the rest of us cause such a racket?"  
"Indeed…" the Rogue responded, and slipped out of the door, closing it firmly behind her.

"That one's a little hot-headed," Wiston observed. "You might do better without her…"  
"She'll be fine…" Arden muttered.  
"I find her quite amusing," Taldir grinned.

"Oh!" Soranna exclaimed, "I forgot to ask if she made contact with Jorr…"  
"She did, but didn't have a lot to say about him…" Gravak responded.  
"Perhaps ask her about him at breakfast?" Arden suggested.  
"I'd have hoped to have seen him back by now…" Soranna replied. "But we can talk about him tomorrow, like you said."

"May we resume?" Kellin asked. "We still need a plan…"  
"The only plan worth considering," Taldir stressed "is one of evacuation."  
"Reluctantly, I fear that is our only course of action," Wiston replied.  
"I think you're dismissing fighting all too easily!" Iormel stated with panic, his voice taking an ever-higher pitch. "What about the reinforcements that are on the way?" Iormel asked.  
"You heard back?" Boshley asked.  
"Yes," Soranna replied with a nod. "Brindol are sending a company of guards to reinforce us. Ulverth and Jarmaath wouldn't have expected the threat to be anything like we're facing though. It won't be enough."  
"When are the reinforcements due?" Gravak asked.  
"The day after tomorrow, we think" Wiston replied.  
"They should be in time to help with the evacuation…" Arden replied. "Work will need to begin on that tomorrow."

"Are we going to leave the town completely defenceless?" Shadowbanks asked.  
"There'll be some who will refuse to leave," Iormel added, addressing Soranna.  
"I won't be one of them," Soranna stated clearly. "We should fall back to Brindol, and make whatever stand we can there."  
"I agree that it's prudent to evacuate…" Delara Zarr responded, "but those that refuse may want to make a stand here, which can buy the evacuation more time."  
"That's quite a callous way of looking at it…" Boshley scowled.  
"I'm not going to force anybody to do so," she replied, "but some would rather die defending their homes than abandon them."  
"I don't think that's unreasonable…" Arden suggested. She'd sooner that everybody left the next day, but there would inevitably be those who would refuse. If they wanted to make a heroic yet futile last stand at the river, why not let them?  
"We'll begin evacuating tomorrow," Soranna confirmed. "Any who want to stay can do so; we'll provide them with whatever equipment they'd like to keep."

Boshley yawned, triggering some similar gestures from a couple of others in the room.

"Indeed…" Wiston began. "We should call it a night here, but I'd like us all to meet again tomorrow."

O-O-O

The mood was sullen at a late breakfast the next morning. News of the evacuation had begun to spread through the small town, and some of the locals were eying them cautiously. Taldir had been musing some options, and was ready to announce his intentions.  
"I've been looking back over this map this morning," he announced, brandishing Koth's map, and laying it out on the table. "I'd like us to speak to the prisoner again."  
"Klur," Buttercup insisted through a partially-chewed mouthful.  
"Whatever…" He said dismissively. "Arden, I think that trying to get more information about Rhest or the Ghostlord that he's referred to would be wise. I have some theories about The Ghostlord… But I'd like to check them."

"I've been doing a bit of digging this morning too," the Bard answered. "There are some folk tales that the locals tell of an old Lich who lives in the Thornwastes. Most of them just use them as scare stories to keep people away from there, and don't believe them though… Ancient tribes of nomads, so the tales say, once built a huge stone lion in the southern plains, in honour of a great Druid who they venerated.

"Some visiting nobles from Rhest apparently came to the region, and initially befriended the locals. But at some point, there was an act of betrayal… Opinion differs as to what that was though."  
"So where does this Ghostlord fit in?" Boshley asked.  
"There's more," Arden grinned.

"The nomads reacted to this betrayal with violence," she continued, "slaying all of the visiting nobles. Rhest reacted as expected, and sent its armies, wiping out the nomads. The Druid that lead them was said to be killed by the armies of Rhest between the paws of his Lion statue.

"When the warriors returned to Rhest, doom came upon it… Ghost Lions stalked the streets, killing anyone they came across… By dawn, all of its fighters, and all of their families were dead. That was the beginning of the fall of Rhest… The Plains to the south also declined, leaving the Thornwaste. Locals who believe the tale maintain that the Druid was reborn as The Ghostlord, but none of them can say what he is…"

Rubbish. Taldir smirked and attempted to give an encouraging nod.

"Most folk tales have a core of truth," he replied, attempting to inject just the right level of distain for Arden's love of frivolous stories.

"Some of the outline to that story is true…" he continued, "but there are several historical facts that have been misrepresented." There was a commotion by the door at this point, as a few newcomers walked in. Everybody turned to look, but soon had their attention back on Taldir. Arden's attention lingered a little longer than the rest, her gaze fixed on a particularly tall and well-built man.

"Arden!" Taldir barked, his fingers snapping to draw her focus back.  
"Sorry…" she smiled. "Did anyone else think he looked familiar?"

"As I was saying…" Taldir persisted, "The Druid in the story was named Urikel Zarl, and far from being a benevolent ruler, he was in fact the leader of a cruel lion cult based in the southern regions of the kingdom. His people were not the noble nomads that the legends tell of, but feral cannibals who believed that their bodies would turn into immortal lions upon death. Nonsense of course…" he scoffed. Arden's gaze was once again turning elsewhere.

"Urikel Zarl," he continued, deliberately louder, and was pleased to see Arden's attention return, "was their undying lord and master, who had long since turned his back on the natural order of things, and prolonged his life indefinitely with dark magic. When Rhest sought to challenge his power and end him, their knights and his people destroyed one another. The two nations fell into ruin as a result.

"Many sages have sought the reasons for Urikel Zarl's fall from grace, but it has eluded the brightest of us. The secrets, it is said, lie in the depths of his stone lion in the Thornwaste… It is also said that he endures within it."

"Well…" Boshley said with a whistle. "That's who we're about to be dealing with?"  
"You really think we should pay this Zarl a visit?" Gravak asked.  
"Either that," Taldir responded, "or head north to Rhest instead. The Prisoner…"  
"Klur…" Buttercup interjected.  
"…alluded to something of his that The Red Hand has. I suspect that he's being blackmailed…"

"What could they have of his?" Taran asked.  
"And you want us to steal it back?" Elantar added. "To what end?"  
"These are answers that I hope to get from… Klur," Taldir responded, with a small attempt at placating Buttercup. The Barbarian grinned her simple smile. She was easily pleased.

"So, what do you say Arden," he pressed on the Bard, who was clearly not listening.  
"Hmm?" she asked. "Oh… Sure, whatever you say… Will you excuse me?" She stood from her seat, and moved towards the newcomer at the bar. "Jack Flashheart!" they heard her exclaim, before she was greeted by the handsome and well-built Human male.  
"I think she might be out of action for the morning," Coralyn giggled.

Soranna Anitah entered the inn, and made straight for them.  
"Good morning," she sternly greeted them, and quickly realised that Arden was missing. Lacking any other preferable contact, she addressed Elantar directly.

"Tell me about your meeting with Jorr," she demanded.  
"Oh… right," she responded. "There wasn't much to it; I warned him about the invasion, but he refused to leave his home. He agreed that he'd keep an eye on the road though, and help out with what he could…"  
"That does sound like him…" she replied. "He hates Hobgoblins, but I'd hoped he'd be less stubborn about staying put…" Elantar shrugged, as if to ask what more she could have done.

"What are your plans now?" she asked the rest of the table as she took a seat.  
"We were just talking about that before Arden was distracted," Taldir answered, pointing out the Bard with her newfound companion.  
"Oh great… Flashheart's here…" Soranna responded.  
"Who?" Boshley asked.  
"He's a Gladiator," she answered. "Travels around the Vale attempting to impress people with his fighting prowess."  
"Really…" Boshley said thoughtfully, drumming his fingers on the table top. "Is he any good?"  
"After a fashion…" she responded. "But put him in a real battle and he'd be hopeless," she scoffed. Arden punctuated this with a shrill chuckle from the far side of the room.

"This is inconvenient…" Taldir muttered.  
"What's that?" Soranna asked.  
"We wanted to interrogate the Hobgoblin prisoner again," he responded, quickly cutting off Buttercup with a hand gesture. "Arden would have been best at that, but it appears that she's… indisposed.

"Fortunately," he added, "I have another option." He stood and muttered an incantation. He enjoyed the looks on all of their faces.

O-O-O

This had been a rather pleasant distraction… Just half an hour in a tavern with someone who was… well, quite unlike anyone she'd known in a while. She really should have paid more attention to what Taldir was saying earlier though…

"Arden?" Flashheart asked, stroking his elegant beard. "You seem a little distracted…"  
"Sorry Jack…" she responded with a smile. "I was just thinking that I should be checking back in with my friends… they've been gone quite a while now."  
"That's OK sweetheart," he replied with a wink. "I'd be interested to meet them actually… Could be someone worth testing my mettle against!"  
"I hope you wouldn't be too hard on them!" She replied with a chuckle. "I'm… Hmm…"  
"What is it?" he asked, with genuine concern. He was so understanding…  
"I'm not sure if it's the lack of sleep, or the wine… or… other distractions… But I could've sworn that Taldir turned into a Hobgoblin a while ago… Was that just me?"

"No… I saw that too…" he replied slowly. "I guessed it was… I mean, it sounds silly to say it now… but; is that sort of thing not normal for him?"  
"He's never done it before…" she replied. "I think I should go and find them," she added.  
"I'll come with you!" he responded, and drained his cup.

* * *

They found her companions exiting the Old Toll House. Buttercup and Elantar were both nursing bloody noses. Taldir was back to his normal appearance, but carrying an even deeper scowl than usual.

"What happened?" Arden asked Taldir in greeting.  
"Oh… hello Arden," Taldir answered scathingly. "Nice of you to join us, and to bring your new friend along too!" Coralyn was smiling in greeting to Flashheart, who grinned back. Arden tried to ignore this, and folded her arms waiting for an answer to her original question. It was Soranna who gave it.

"Taldir tried to get further information from the prisoner; he disguised himself as a Hobgoblin who'd been previously captured," she summed up.  
"And?" Arden asked.  
"It didn't go so well…" Gravak replied vaguely.  
"It might have done if we'd all kept our heads," Taldir added, glaring pointedly at Elantar.  
"Oh come on…" the Rogue scoffed, "you were getting nowhere; he didn't believe you for a second."  
"Still…" Gravak began, "rushing him with a drawn dagger probably wasn't the best idea. Even less so when you opened up his shoulder." Flashheart roared with laughter at this. Arden frowned. She should perhaps have remained focused after all; the distractions of the past half an hour or so might have cost them.

"What happened then?" she asked Taldir.  
"Klur made a run forrit," Buttercup answered, with an angry glare at Elantar. "I tried to block 'im off, but he got me wiv an elbow." She wiped blood from her upper lip to punctuate the point.  
"I thought he might respond better to a threat," Elantar shrugged. "It turned out I was wrong."  
"So… how did you get a bloody nose?" Arden asked.  
"That was me," Buttercup declared.  
"Ah…" Arden responded.  
"We're fine…" Elantar stated. "The point was well made." She too wiped blood from her face.  
"You'll have a deep bruise in the morning…" Soranna added.  
"I've had worse…" she replied.

"Never mind all that," Arden pressed. "Did you get any more information? And…" she added with embarrassment, "What were you trying to find out again?"  
"I knew you weren't listening!" Taldir snapped in Elvish. He added a tirade of abuse directed at Flashheart, but meant clearly for Arden's ears. Elantar seemed find it all quite amusing though, and Taran gasped at hearing words he probably wouldn't be repeating to his mother.

"Taldir wanted to find out more about the Ghostlord and what The Red Hand might have of his…" Gravak explained after the Wizard had calmed down.  
"Right…" Taldir joined in. "We didn't learn much of significance that we didn't already have, only that they have a very capable thief in their employment."  
"We're all fairly set on heading to Rhest to see what we can find there…" Gravak added. "We know that there's a Dragon there, and another of these Wyrmlords, plus some link to the Ghostlord."  
"It does seem the best thing to do next really…" Elantar agreed.

"Fine…" Arden responded. "Shall we head out this afternoon? Where is this place anyway?"  
"We'll head north tomorrow," Elantar replied. Taran and Coralyn gave one another an uneasy look at this point. Arden made a mental note to enquire about this later.  
"There's one more thing to take care of first…" Elantar continued.  
"Which is?" Arden asked.  
"Jorr…" Soranna replied.  
"I see…" Arden answered. "You going alone again Elantar?"  
"That's the plan…" she responded. Arden looked around at the others. Flashheart was beaming at her, and tapping his foot impatiently. She was impressed with him in several ways, but there was a war brewing that she was finding herself caught up in. This could be her chance to really make her name for herself… But no more distractions until it was over, she decided.

"I'll come with you," she announced. Elantar and Flashheart both frowned at this, but for very different reasons. "If we need to persuade him to come back with us, I think you'll agree that I might do that better?"  
"Fine…" Elantar responded.  
"And we should take someone to watch our backs," Arden added. "Buttercup?"  
"Alrigh'" the Barbarian nodded. Elantar grimaced.  
"I want to make sure that the two of you have made up properly…" Arden demanded. "Meet back here in five minutes?"  
"Okay," Buttercup agreed, and left for the inn to collect her equipment. Elantar nodded silently and did the same.

"Arden…" Flashheart pleaded, pulling her aside. "I thought we'd be able to have the day together?"  
"There's war coming," she replied bluntly. "I feel like we're going to play a big part in it. These guys need me… Half an hour unsupervised and they came to blows! Sorry Jack, but I need to stay focused…" He hung his head and frowned.  
"Make sure you survive it…" he said sullenly. "We could have a great time together, you and I…"  
"I suspect you're right," she replied with a chuckle.

"Why don't you talk to Soranna while I'm gone?" she suggested.  
"She's not really my type…" he said with a grin. She punched him playfully on the arm.  
"The town needs help… They're about to evacuate and the civilians will need protection on the road. And after that…"  
"What?" he asked.  
"I suspect there'll eventually be a huge battle in Brindol… I know you fight for entertainment purposes, and make a good living of it… But the Vale might need you to do the real thing before long. How about it?"

"I see what you mean…" he said with a sigh. "Maybe you're right. It's probably about time that I stopped playing the Gladiator and did something worthwhile… You can have quite an effect on a man, Arden!" She chuckled and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I don't expect to be back before nightfall; if you're gone by then, I'll see you in Brindol," she declared.  
"I'll see you there," he replied. He turned, and walked away.

"What a guy…" she breathed.


	12. Chapter 12

*** XII ***

"Nobody?" he bellowed. "You've bought no help at all?"  
"Illian… calm down," Sellyria answered for her son. "This was no easy task."  
"He's been gone for weeks, promising that he'd bring back help. And nothing!"  
"I misjudged their motivations…" the Ranger reluctantly admitted. He sat heavily, seething. Illian had always been far too demanding. Eldarion wasn't one to hide behind his mother's position though, and was determined to stand up to the Cleric himself, despite Illian's inflated sense of self-importance.

"Misjudgement…" Illian muttered. "That's become your watch-word, hasn't it?"  
"Illian!" Sellyria snapped. "Rather than throwing insults around, how about helping to find a solution?"  
The Cleric glowered and resumed his seat. "Take me through it again," he demanded.

Eldarion sipped thoughtfully from his wine cup. He'd been though his story a couple of times now. Illian was looking for inconsistencies, hoping to catch him in a lie.  
"We met in Dennovar, as you suggested," he started finally. "The girl wasn't there."  
"Who was there?" he interrupted.  
"First one I met was Boshley; a Gnome from Garfen. He was in one of the taverns, and told me about Nethril's job."  
"To find his apprentice?" Sellyria asked. He nodded in confirmation.  
"Two half-Orcs," he continued. "Buttercup; slow-witted, but brutal with an axe, as all Barbarians tend to be. Apart from that she was quite… jovial though. Very surprising. Seemed to not really feel a part of the Orc community that she was raised in."  
"The other?" Illian pressed.  
"Gravak," he answered. "That's the Cleric. Didn't say much about his past. Seemed to me like he had some sort of hidden agenda though. Hard to read…" he stopped to take another swig. "Two Elves: Eldrann was a Wizard. Pretty inept… took to Taran when we found him though, and, as far as I know, the two of them are holed-up in Dennovar now, cataloguing scrolls. He's more of an academic than a fighter. Elantar's from the far north; probably one of the tribes around the Giantshield Mountains, but she wouldn't be more specific… I thought she might be one I could get on with, my way in to bringing them all this way, but she's stubborn about… well, everything really. It would never have worked trying it that way."  
"I make that six," said Illian, "you said there were seven at first?"  
"Arden. Half-Elf; fancied herself a bit. Hard negotiator, greedy for all the gold she could get her hands on. We wouldn't have wanted their help at her prices, so that was a no-go as well... I decided to stick with them and see how it panned-out; I might have been able to win one or two of them over, and if not, I'd look for others."

"So," his mother began to summarise, "you went north to… where again?"  
"We stopped in Torlynn; it was the nearest settlement to Demara's Fortress, which was the last place Nethril knew Taran was heading. While there, we found out about the Ogre problem the locals had been having. There were a handful in the old fort where we found Taran. He was there looking for an ancient stash of historical writings; Arden was none too impressed when she found out what the treasure was."

"How did they cope with the Ogres?" Illian asked.  
"We really need to go over every detail again?" Eldarion sighed. Illian fixed him with a stare until he began to continue. "Easily; don't get me wrong, the Ogres were no push-overs, but we worked well together. Elantar almost got herself killed a couple of times, but Gravak's healing powers were very impressive… Anything else?"

"You said about other enemies in the fortress before," his mother added helpfully. Illian gave her a sideways glance before Eldarion continued.  
"Orcs – a few of those. They were there ahead of the Ogres… Err… a couple of monsters. A Carrion Crawler… I don't remember all of it. There were three Shadows in the room where all the scrolls were though. They took it out of us before we figured it out."  
"Figured what out?" the Cleric asked.  
"They were linked to some torches on the wall; we extinguished them, and the Shadows disappeared.

"We left there and headed back to Torlynn, taking the Ogre heads with us to collect a bounty. I don't think they'd expected us to return. By the time we'd got there, Taldir and Coralyn had arrived separately, but both looking for us."

"Coralyn's the one you've been pulling here?" Sellyria asked Illian.  
"It's not that simple…" the Cleric answered cryptically.  
"I should hope not, or these last few weeks have been a massive waste of my time," Eldarion bristled. Illian glared back at him, and slowly began to grin. He nodded respectfully.

"I can put suggestions in her dreams, nothing more," he said. "I have no idea where she is now…" he took a swig from his own wine cup. "Tell me about Taldir."  
"He's an arse," Eldarion shrugged simply. Sellyria began to chuckle. "He's a Grey Elf; far more powerful a mage than Eldrann, but still lacking in the bravery department. He looked down on all of us."  
"You did say he was a Grey Elf…" Sellyria stated.  
"Have we got any more of this?" Eldarion asked, holding out the cup that he'd just emptied. Illian retreated to a shelf where he kept his wine.

"So, what then?" Illian pressed.  
"I was getting nowhere trying to form bonds with any of them… thinking that I still had time, we negotiated a severance package, and I left to find others," Eldarion stated.  
"But you couldn't make any more contacts…" Sellyria muttered.  
"And I'd made it perfectly clear that Coralyn and Gravak were both crucial," Illian snapped. "Why would you think that you know better?"  
"They were not suitable," he insisted. "You have no idea what it was like trying to work with them; constant disagreements, ineptitude… I lost count of the mistakes they made. Without me, they'd never have found their way east at sunrise."  
"Nevertheless," Illian stormed, "they could be our last hope… and they're lost to us!"  
"I have to agree, Eldarion," Sellyria said. "Even if we can somehow draw them here now…"  
"If we draw them here, I can deal with them," Eldarion insisted.

"How long do we have now?" he added.  
"Not long enough," Illian declared. "There has been movement in Rhest; they're breeding something up there."  
"We've sent scouts to find out what," Sellyria declared, "we're watching the roads north and south as well."  
"Anything happening out there?" Eldarion asked.  
"Hobgoblins marked with a red hand emblem are raiding in small groups all over the Vale, she answered. "They seem to be keeping clear of all the major settlements though. For now, at least… A small force has garrisoned the old fort at Krethin's Dyke," she added warily. "They're making repairs, but we're not yet desperate enough to risk our own people in an assault."

"Brindol still won't listen…" Illain sighed. "Your mother has sent Braemir Nightshadow to speak to Jarmaath."  
"Really?" Eldarion asked, stunned. "His sister would have been better…"  
"I tried," Sellyria responded. "He wouldn't let Trellara go; said the road was too dangerous and insisted he went in her place."

Eldarion frowned. He knew the Nightshadows fairly well. Braemir had always been courageous, but over-confident in his abilities. Eldarion didn't expect to see him alive again.

O-O-O

"Keep your shield arm a little higher!" Boshley instructed. The boy obeyed, just in time to see off his brother's spear thrust. "That's good!" He added encouragingly.

Drellin's Ferry was far too lightly guarded, and Boshley felt that evacuating was the correct decision. They still had a few days, and while parts of the town began to pack up and empty, many of the inhabitants wanted to learn to fight. Boshley had volunteered his time this afternoon to share some of his knowledge with the civilians, hoping to pass on something that would help them. The boys were young though: he hoped that they didn't see action when the war reached Brindol. The Red Hand wouldn't be using blunted weapons like these after all.

Soranna had also drawn on the help of some of the others: Coralyn had joined the town's few apothecaries in teaching some basic first aid skills; Taran and Taldir were sharing information on magical defence, and the sorts of threats that different monsters could bring, particularly focusing on Dragon lore; while Gravak had joined Boshley in teaching some combat drills. The Gnome had begun by attempting to show sword techniques to those interested, but the fighting skill required was beyond all but the most promising. Gravak equipped them all with a variety of clubs, spears and maces, which they were able to wield much more effectively, and they'd made some good progress against the Town Watch's training dummies. Arden, Buttercup and Elantar had all departed earlier in the afternoon to seek out a friend of Soranna's somewhere in the Wychwood, so they wouldn't be heading to Rhest until at least tomorrow.

"Boshley, is it?" a man asked, as he approached. He looked familiar. Gravak eyed him cautiously, but with definite recognition.  
"That's right," the Gnome responded. "And you are?"  
"Jack Flashheart; I've heard a little about you from a mutual friend," he said with a grin. Boshley looked quizzically at Gravak.  
"He's the one that Arden was speaking to this morning," the Cleric explained.  
"Ah!" Boshley exclaimed. "That was where I'd seen you… I trust that all you heard was positive?" he added with a smile, offering a hand.  
"Oh, more-or-less," he chuckled. "I've just been speaking with Soranna," he added, with a gesture to the Captain. "I'm going to help with the evacuation, and perhaps help to defend Brindol if war reaches it," he declared, puffing out his chest.  
"That's good to hear!" Boshley replied.

"Careful!" He exclaimed, turning his attention back to the training that he was supposed to be overseeing. Jariel, one of the boys that he was instructing, was staring open-mouthed at Flashheart; Liomund, his brother, taking the opportunity to firmly jab him with a blunted spear, and laughing triumphantly. The victim fell prone, and rubbed at his shoulder.

"Always keep your guard up," Flashheart instructed, helping Jariel back to his feet.  
"Thank you sir!" he exclaimed.  
"An honourable fighter wouldn't have attacked while your back was turned," Flashheart lectured, "but you can't expect the Hobgoblins to play by the same rules!"  
"You'd do well to remember that lesson too Liomund," Boshley added, "Honour is every bit as important as strength!" Liomund lowered his gaze apologetically.  
"War is not a game," Gravak responded sternly. "When you're in combat, you focus, or you die. Jariel should thank Liomund for teaching him that when it didn't matter."  
"Now steady on…" Flashheart began, grinning at the two boys. They seemed to be taking Gravak seriously though.

"I'd never strike an enemy while his back was turned," Boshley stated bluntly, "nor one that was unarmed."  
"Boys," Gravak began as he stood, demanding their focus. "If you find yourselves in battle in the coming weeks, and are faced with the opportunity to kill a Hobgoblin that's invading your home before he strikes you; take the opportunity and get the job done, whether he can see it coming or not." With this, he turned and moved along to another sparing pair, ending the discussion on his terms.  
"What a charming fellow…" Flashheart grinned.

"Mister Flashheart?" Liomund spoke up. "Are you going to fight in the war?"  
"Indeed I am son!" he replied. Liomund and his brother both grinned.  
"Our father fights in the Militia!" Jariel added.  
"Your father must be a good man," he replied, "and wise to take a profession that trains him for such ill times."  
"Yeah!" Liomund answered.

"He's taken us to see you fight before," Jariel added. "You're my favourite Gladiator! And our Mother's!"  
"Well, that's flattering to…"  
"Not our Father's though…" Liomund interrupted.  
"Oh, no!" his brother added.  
"No…" Liomund continued. "He said that you'd be less than useless in a real battle, and should stick to the arenas!" Flashheart frowned. Boshley couldn't help but smirk a little. He remembered Soranna saying something similar that morning…

"Well…" Flashheart eventually replied, "Perhaps your father should test himself against me someday, and see how he fares!" The boys' eyes widened at this, and they fell quiet. A roar of laughter from Flashheart, who roughed up the brothers' hair eventually broke the tension.  
"Back to work boys!" Boshley snapped with a grin. The two picked up their weapons again and resumed their drills.

"So," Boshley said to Flashheart, "Gladiator, are you?"  
"That's right; I travel Elsir Vale fighting for sport," he responded. "Sometimes it's wild boars, big cats or wolves; but mostly it's against other fighters… The thing is, I was due to fight someone tonight, but he's left for Brindol already…"  
"Go on…" Boshley said with a grin.  
"From what I hear from Arden, you enjoy an honour duel, and have some skills…" he hinted.  
"I accept!" Boshley exclaimed with a grin.  
"Excellent!" Flashheart responded.  
"7 o'clock on The Green; just by The Old Bridge Inn," he added. "Usual terms are a fifty gold piece wager from each contender… is that likely to cause problems?"  
"Not at all," Boshley smiled.  
"The local organiser takes a small cut, but otherwise, winner takes all," he grinned.

"I've not seen you fight before," Boshley said. "Any hints?"  
"Stay on your feet!" Flashheart responded, and left towards the inn with a hearty laugh.

"This could turn out to be a very good evening indeed!" Boshley exclaimed to himself.

O-O-O

"Dis wood's nice," Buttercup observed. The other two looked across at her. The musical one smiled, but the angry one with the scarred face had an unreadable expression.  
"It'd be a shame if it didn't last much longer..." Arden responded sadly.  
"The invasion will come this way," Elantar added. She looked like she might have liked the woods as they were too, but who could really tell? "Chances are, the Hobgoblins will burn the whole thing."  
"Why wud they?" Buttercup asked. "Dey wanna live 'ere cos it's got stuff like trees and fields were dey can grow food." The angry one simply shrugged in response.

They'd been riding for a while since breakfast. The sun had climbed quite high. Elantar usually put a number to this, but that made no sense to Buttercup. She wasn't hungry again yet, and didn't need to sleep; that was what mattered.

"How much longer?" Arden asked.  
"About another hour, I think," Elantar responded. "I was moving much slower last time I came this way, so it's hard to be certain."

"It's quiet out here…" Arden said after a few minutes' silence. Elantar looked around at her, then back to the front, and sighed. There was a large dark patch growing under her left eye. Buttercup hoped she'd learn from that; she'd attacked Klur with her knife when they were questioning him, and that wasn't right. The angry one hadn't spoken to her since. A few more minutes of silence followed. The musical one looked uncomfortable.

"What should we expect when we get there?" Arden said, breaking the silence again. The other one didn't answer for a while. "Elantar?"  
"It's a well-hidden cabin… Jorr uses a crossbow, and has three hunting dogs," she finally answered.  
"I'm not a big fan of dogs…" Arden responded.  
"I didn't ask you to come," Elantar retorted.  
"Alright, alright… I'll cope, somehow…" the Bard replied. "Are we going to get any more information out of you about this place?" There was another short pause before she replied.  
"We won't get to the door without being spotted…" she finally said. "But we should be safe enough as long as he can see that we're not enemies. Let me go in first, and I'll call you in afterwards."

Arden nodded. She looked like she wanted to say more, but wasn't quite sure what. Maybe she was bored.  
"Do you like dogs Buttercup?" she asked.  
"Nah…" she replied. "De're too chewy, an' get stuck in me teef."  
"No, not to eat!" she responded with laughter, "as an animal… you know, like a pet?"  
"Like the wun Eldariyen 'ad?" she asked.  
"Yeah…" Arden responded thoughtfully. "A bit like that…"  
"We didn' 'ave dogs like dat at 'ome," she explained. "We 'ad Grillers, Bears, Rynoes, Kymeeras an' Scorpiunz."  
"Oh…" Arden responded.

They continued in uncomfortable silence.

O-O-O

"So…" he began, "what brings you back here, Elf?"

Jorr stood, much as Elantar had left him, behind his sitting hounds with a lowered crossbow in hand. It was notched and wound, but he hadn't fired on her. She approached far more brazenly this time, but had been recognised early as a result.

"I've bought two others with me this time…" she responded. "They'll… one of them will be able to explain it better."  
"Is that so? Best you call them then…" She was about to whistle, when he stopped her. "It is just two, isn't it? You won't be adding any more as the conversation unravels?"  
"No… it's just two," she answered, confused.  
"Good… I won't be taken for a fool again," he muttered. "That bloody Wizard and the Dwarfs…"  
Bemused, she whistled for Buttercup and Arden to join her.

"A half-Orc?" he observed as they approached.  
"She won't be a problem," Elantar stated.  
"Fine…" he sighed. "I'll heat some water."

O-O-O

Jorr wasn't particularly friendly looking. Buttercup was used to being scowled at by strangers, but even Arden wasn't getting any polite gestures. He made good tea though, and he seemed to appreciate the cakes they'd bought with them from Drellin's Ferry.

"So, Soranna wants me to leave, does she?" he asked between mouthfuls.  
"It was… more of a suggestion, I think," Arden responded. "She knows you love your home, but this invasion is going to be overwhelming…"  
"I thought I made it clear last time that I was going nowhere?" he asked, directing his question at the angry one. She shrugged in response. Often times, shrugging seemed to be the only gesture she was capable of.

"I can understand you wanting to stay…" Elantar said. "But there's only a slim chance of you surviving. Drellin's Ferry is emptying as we speak."  
"They're not staying to defend their homes?" Jorr asked.  
"Only a few…" Arden replied.  
"An' de're all gonna die," Buttercup added.  
"Not surprising when most of them flee," Jorr spat.  
"We did discuss this at length last night…" Arden explained. "Opinions differed… The conclusion was that anyone who stayed would die or be enslaved. It was far better to get as many people out as we could. The whole Vale is falling back to Brindol to mount a defence there."  
"Brindol's a long way from here…" he answered. He paused for a couple of minutes saying nothing more. Arden looked uneasy as nobody said anything. Elantar looked like she was falling asleep. Jorr chewed sullenly on his cake, and sipped at his tea cup. Two teeth towards the front of his mouth sat slightly longer than the others, which struck Buttercup as strange for a human… He also had a lot more hair than she'd seen on any other man.

"My mind's made up," he said suddenly after a long silence, taking his feet. "I'll continue to hunt Hobgoblins in the Wychwood, but I'm going nowhere…"  
"It's going to get dangerous here Jorr…" Arden warned.  
"I know…" he answered. "That's why I want you to take my dogs with you."  
"What?" Elantar responded.  
"There's three of you, and three of them…" he reasoned. "Take them; keep them safe. There are some in Drellin's Ferry ready to die defending their homes if you're to be believed. I'll do the same here, but I'll get my dogs out of danger if I can."  
"Alrigh'…" Buttercup answered. "We'll take 'em."

"How are you going to get them to leave?" Elantar asked. "They seem pretty loyal to you…"  
"They'll understand…" he replied.  
"I think you're missing the point…" Arden answered. "It is _not_ safe here!" she stressed.  
"My place isn't among people!" he snapped at her.

It annoyed Buttercup that people thought her stupid; when they said things that they didn't think she'd understand, and laugh at her for it. Or when the people at home at poked fun at her for not being able to understand letters, or write them herself. She still got that a lot… But she was pleased that she had worked out something about Jorr that the other two seemed to have missed. She knew that Elantar spoke Orcish, so she chose to use that language for her next words.

"E's a were-creacha… Probly a wolf." The angry one glared at her for a moment, then looked Jorr up and down, and then grinned.  
"What did she say?" the hermit demanded.  
"We need to go soon…" Elantar replied to him. "There won't be much sunlight left, and I don't know how the moonlight will be. How far are we from a full moon?"  
"Three days," Jorr answered, just a little too quickly. Elantar smiled knowingly at him. He glowered at them all, then closed his eyes and hung his head.  
"Oh…" Arden gasped, catching on. "Well…" the Bard continued. "That makes sense, I suppose…"

Jorr unhooked his belt and let it drop to the floor. Within seconds, a huge dog stood before them, grey haired, and fearsome-looking. It was similar in appearance to his three hounds, who all wandered up to him at this point. The dog that had previously been Jorr was about twice the size of any of the others though.

He communicated with the trio of hounds, and they all whimpered for a few seconds. They quickly approached Buttercup, Arden and Elantar though, and stood by them awaiting instruction.  
Jorr resumed his human form.

"Not a word to anyone," he warned. "This is why I keep away from the town: there are some…" he tailed off. "There are some that if they knew, would hunt me down."

"We won't tell a soul," Arden swore.

O-O-O

They'd had to wait quite a while to be able to cross at the Ferry; there was no sign of anybody on the East bank for a good few minutes. Once they'd finally crossed, they found that most of the town had gathered on The Green.

"What's going on here?" Arden ventured.

They joined the crowds, and managed to push their way to the front. In fact, the crowds parted quite voluntarily when they noticed that Buttercup was about to barrel through them. A fanfare sounded, and a young and energetic man leapt onto a small raised platform to cheers from the crowd.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! Peasants! Travellers! Halflings! Dwarfs! And all the rest of you!" he began in greeting. "What a spectacle we have for you this evening!" He was greeted with more cheers, and some applause. A lot of the population had left already, but there were still several hundred crowded into the open space. Elantar recognised several faces, Delora Zann, Kellin Shadowbanks, Wiston and Iormel amongst them. She finally picked out Gravak, Taran, Coralyn and Taldir, crowded around one corner of the space that had been left open in the centre of The Green; they were all discussing something heatedly. Arden had spotted the man that she'd spent the morning with in the opposite corner, and was trying to catch his attention with a wave, but she was only one of dozens of women trying to do the same thing.

"In the northern corner!" the Herald continued to bellow, "From the faraway land of Garfen…"  
"Oh…" Arden groaned with realisation. "He's not, is he?"

"He may be diminutive," the Herald continued, "but I have it on good authority that he's the scourge of Goblin-kind… Just the sort of hero we need for the war to come!" There were several loud cheers from the crowd at this. "Introducing, for his first arena bout: Boshley The Badger Bentock!"

More cheers, and some applause greeted the announcement. Elantar saw her companions scatter, revealing Boshley, who strolled into the centre of the square, his sword arm raised in greeting.

"And in the Southern corner!" he continued. The Herald had to raise his voice, as a cheer was already building in the crowd. "A man who needs little introduction… You know him! You love him! Son of Terrelton! Swinger of chains! Flash by name!"  
"Flash by nature!" the crowd responded as one, in well-rehearsed fashion. A much larger cheer went up for him: Flashheart was clearly a local favourite.

He strode confidently towards the centre of the arena, swinging a pair of chains about him as he did so. He was very lightly armoured, stripped to the waist except for some banded mail on his left shoulder. He wore simple britches and boots, apart from this, and a slotted helmet on his head. Boshley waited, in contrast, covered head-to-toe in Full Plate. He was hopping from foot to foot, taking practice swings and thrusts with his sword. This would be a very interesting match-up, and Elantar claimed a spot with a clear view, genuinely excited to see how this would turn out. A lot of money was changing hands amongst the locals, with notes on wagers being taken down. From what she could hear, Flashheart was the clear favourite with them too, and there were some complaints about the slim odds being offered. Some were being tempted to take the longer odds on Boshley, perhaps hoping that the unknown fighter held some surprises.

The Herald, now seemingly acting as an umpire, leapt down from his platform, and approached the two fighters. Flashheart reigned in his chains, and Boshley re-sheathed his sword. He spoke to the two of them, but was too far away to be heard amidst the noises of the crowd. Boshley and Flashheart bumped fists, and retreated to their corners. Buttercup made her way across to Boshley's corner, cutting through the arena as she did so. Some in the crowd fell quiet and muttered amongst themselves at this; it appeared that she had violated some etiquette in doing so. Arden took a place next to Elantar, and looked on with a worried expression.

"This isn't… you know… to the death or anything?" she asked.  
"Who knows?" Elantar responded.

A bell rang from somewhere across the open space, and the two leapt into action. Boshley shuffled forwards, showing his left shoulder and protecting his body with a shield almost as tall as he was. Flashheart danced forwards and began to rotate both chains. Boshley's gaze began to follow them, and he waited for an opening, before breaking into a sprint, ducking beneath a swing. He was heading straight at his opponent, and seemed to have got inside his defences.

Flashheart reacted with alarming agility; he snapped his right arm back, and bought his left across, his chains twisting against each other, and both changing direction to flick towards the charging Gnome. Before he reached striking range, Boshley's sword was yanked from his hand, and clattered across the floor to great cheers from the watching crowd. Boshley yelped in frustration, and stepped sideways to avoid a descending chain. He stooped to pick up his sword, and found that his shield was now torn from his grip and sent in the opposite direction. He gripped his sword, and made to run after his shield too. Some in the crowd were laughing at his slow turn of speed, and it looked as if Boshley's clumsiness might be his downfall here: he'd probably have done better without his armour.

Flashheart continued to dance circles around the Gnome. Boshley didn't get a chance to reach his shield before his legs were taken out from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. A great cheer went up from the locals, and some more laughter. Boshley struggled to his knees, and another chain swipe knocked him prone, bringing more cheers. Boaz growled loudly from Boshley's corner and tried to get to his side; it was taking the combined efforts of Gravak and Buttercup to hold him back.

Boshley rolled sideways, collecting his shield. Once it was back in his grasp, he attempted to stand again, but was knocked flat for a third time to more cheers from the crowd. Some had begun to grow bored by this though, and wanted to see some proper action; a few boos rang out to indicate this, along with some cries of "let him up!" The Umpire obliged, and stepped in, ordering Flashheart to let the Gnome retake his feet. He obeyed, and retreated a few feet, still whirling his chains and gesturing confidently to the crowd. There were more cheers and applause as he worked the arena, Arden joining in. She seemed to have settled on there not being any serious bloodshed and was beginning to enjoy the spectacle.

Boshley gathered himself, and tried a different approach. Instead of trying to avoid the chains, he decided to plough through them, meeting each swing on his shield and attempting to turn the blows aside. This worked a few times, allowing him to get closer as the chains struck his shield percussively. On the fifth swing, however, Boshley lost grip of his shield again and found his left hand empty. Flashheart went on the offensive, driving Boshley back as he dodged each swing until he reached the edge of the arena. Flashheart swept his right hand low, and took the Gnome's feet from under him once more. The crowd cheered, and Flashheart retreated to allow Boshley to stand again, raising a fist triumphantly to his fans.

Boshley simply couldn't get anywhere near Flashheart. Elantar had seen Boshley fight enough times to know that he was perfectly capable of completely destroying his opponent if he could get a blow in; he was totally unsuited to this style of combat though. Flashheart seemed to be specifically trained to subdue his opponents and not let them fight. Soranna was right with what she'd said that morning; he'd struggle in a battle situation. Tripping up a few Hobgoblins would be little help as thousands assaulted the walls of Brindol.

The combat lasted a few more minutes, but had become predictable. Boshley would look for a way through the chains, only to be disarmed, or tripped before he could get close enough. There was no way he was going to win this.

Flashheart eventually read that the crowd were growing wearisome, as the cheers began to die down. He moved to end it, quickly yanking Boshley's sword from him, leaving him empty-handed. He tripped him with a second swing, and bought his first chain back around to wrap around the Gnome's neck as he fell. He quickly closed the gap, and knelt on Boshley's shoulder.

"Yield?" he asked confidently. The crowd fell quiet to hear the response.  
"One condition…" Boshley gasped. Flashheart nodded benevolently. "Teach me how I can do better next time!" he demanded. Flashheart laughed raucously, dropped his chains and helped Boshley back to his feet.  
"We can discuss it over an ale!" he replied, to much applause.


	13. Chapter 13

*** XIII***

Boshley and Flashheart's duel had been the talk of the town for the rest of the evening, and the following morning too. Elantar met her companions in the eating hall of the tavern where they had breakfast together. Taran and Coralyn were conspicuously absent.  
"We need to be leaving within the hour; it'll take us three days to reach Brindol, and another three northward to Rhest…" Gravak stated. "We can't afford any more delays."

They had decided to take the Dawn Way eastward, back through Elsir Vale. That way, they'd be able to carry warning to each town that they stopped at, and also make a stop in Brindol. They had spent some of yesterday evening discussing Dragons with Delara Zann, and she'd told them all that Kerdan Jarmaath, Brindol's mayor, had once driven the Black Dragon of Rhest from Elsir Vale, winning great notoriety in the process. Arden recalled hearing this in a song before, and had expanded on the tale, Zann filling in or correcting the facts where they'd fallen victim to hyperbole. There was hope that Jarmaath would be able to aid them with further information, or that they'd at least benefit in some way from his experience.

"They're here!" Arden exclaimed after a few minutes of waiting. Taran entered, followed by Coralyn. They approached the table nervously.  
"We have something to tell you all…" Coralyn announced.  
"Oh yeah?" Arden smiled. Coralyn shook her head and frowned in response: it clearly hadn't been what Arden was thinking.  
"We've…" Taran began quietly. "We've both arrived at this decision separately…"  
"Well?" Taldir asked.  
"I don't feel that my place is among you anymore," Coralyn stated.  
"Oh…" Arden responded sadly.  
"It's… I don't know…" she continued. "It's been interesting working with you all, and I know that you have an important part to play in this war… but I don't really belong with you. I don't fit." She glanced pointedly at Gravak as she said these last words.  
"That's a great shame Coralyn," Boshley responded. "Are you sure that there's no way we can make it work?"  
"What about the sense of duty you've been feeling?" Arden pressed, immediately trying a different approach to the Gnome.  
"It's still there," she smiled with her response. "And, I'm afraid not, Boshley… I'm going to stay around Drellin's Ferry for a couple more days, and leave with the rest of the civilians. I think I'm needed more here… and in Brindol." Gravak nodded slowly. The rest of the party slowly accepted her decision, but most were sorry that she was leaving them.

"And you?" Taldir asked Taran bluntly.  
"The same…" he replied. "We've already achieved what we set out to do, and I'm not cut out for heroics in the same way as the rest of you…"  
"Nethril wants you back in Denovar?" Arden asked.  
"Eventually…" he replied. "He wants me to work under Immersten the Red for the duration of the war; I'll be in Brindol too for a while."  
"Who's Immersten the Red?" Boshley asked.  
"A war mage… head of the Mage's Guild in Brindol, and second only to Nethril among Wizards in Elsir Vale. I'm told that there's a great deal I can learn from him with… events as they are," he explained. Taran's departure was easier to accept for everybody, but both of them would be missed.

Six of them set out from Drellin's Ferry within the hour, waving their goodbyes to Coralyn and Taran, and to Flashheart who had also pulled himself from his bed to see them off after a heavy night of celebration. The mood was more sullen as they headed east; strangely, despite the impending invasion, spirits had generally remained high until this point.

Four or five hours into their journey, they came upon a company of Brindol soldiers heading in the opposite direction. Arden greeted them with some enthusiasm.

"We've been dispatched to help see off some Hobgoblin raids at Drellin's Ferry," their Sergeant, who identified himself as Elric explained. "You're coming from that direction; any news?"  
"It's more than a few small raids!" Boshley replied. The guards smirked at one another.  
"We're quite used to dealing with these, little one…" one of the guards responded patronisingly, with a few laughs in response from his colleagues. Nobody else was laughing though.  
"You really have no idea what's coming?" Arden asked.  
"We have seen some civilians fleeing over the past couple of days…" Elric responded cautiously. "We assumed that they were over-reacting though."  
"There are a lot more on the way," Gravak.  
"Some fools are staying behind, but most are evacuating," Taldir clarified.

"How many Hobgoblins are we talking about?" another man of Brindol asked.  
"Several thousand," Arden responded. This pulled a few of the soldiers up short.  
"And how reliable is the information?" Eldric asked.  
"We're the ones who got it," Arden answered forcefully. They all seemed a little more convinced that the threat was more than they'd previously imagined.  
"I'm certain that you'll pass more civilians from Drellin's Ferry on your way, and they'll all tell you the same story," Taldir stated.  
"Every town between here and Brindol will be emptying too," Arden said. "This threat is real, and the sooner you take that seriously, the better."

"Our orders are to go and help Drellin's Ferry…" Eldric responded. "I believe you, and I'm sure that's what we'll find, but we need to report to Norro Wiston first; we're being placed under his command."  
"He's only just made his mind up…" Arden replied. "You should speak to Soranna Anitah when you arrive; she's got more idea what's going on."  
"Duly noted," Eldric said, nodding his thanks. "Form up!" he bellowed to his unit. "We may see you back in Brindol within the week," he added.  
"I expect we will…" Boshley replied.

They commenced their ride eastward, and overtook several refugees going in the same direction. They were recognised by more than a few, but couldn't afford the time to stop and talk to many. It was a couple more hours before they were able to stop to give their mounts a rest. Jorr's hounds, who had continued to follow them, were also panting hard.

"Remind me why these dogs are tailing us again?" Taldir asked.  
"We're keeping them safe for someone," Arden replied, giving nothing else away.  
"They're slowing us down, is all…" Taldir added.  
"They can keep up well enough," Elantar said defensively. "We're going no further than one town per day; if we made it to Terellton an hour earlier tonight, we'd still leave at the same time tomorrow." The Wizard shrugged at this and muttered something about missing the point. Elantar ignored him.

* * *

They rode into Brindol at dusk, after a three-day journey. Guards met them at the gate, and Arden used the names of Wiston, Soranna and Elric to gain an invitation to speak with the Mayor. Jarmaath summoned them after breakfast the following day.

"So, we've you to thank for this news, do we?" he opened.  
"That's right," Arden responded. "We'd rather not have had any to report, but I'd expect a bit of appreciation… Drellin's Ferry could be in ruins in a few days, and no one would have seen it coming."  
"Quite…" Jarmaath replied, shuffling paper. "No, this isn't enough," he said aside to an aide. "Have Ulverth check them again."  
"Are we keeping you from something?" Arden asked.  
"Many things…" he countered. "I have requests for support from every town from here to Drellin's Ferry, from the Elves in the north… Again: they haven't stopped their whining for months, as it happens… An influx of refugees all needing shelter and, if you'll excuse me for being so blunt, the very people who appear to have started it all now requesting my time. So yes," he snapped, flustered, "you are keeping me from something." Arden whistled and rolled her eyes. Everyone looked at each other, and then back to Jarmaath.

"What is it you want?" he asked brusquely.  
"If you'd have spoken to Wiston, you'll know that we've been rather helpful so far," Arden answered. "We can continue to do the same and help you win this war, or you can chuck us out and make it all just a bit more difficult for everyone. What do you think?"  
"Fine…" he answered gruffly. "State your intentions. And your demands." Arden laughed and looked around at her companions.  
"We're not demanding anything…" she answered.  
"No?" Jarmaath asked, with a cocked eyebrow.  
"We're following a lead…" Arden began. "We have intelligence that The Red Hand have occupied Rhest, and have something there that will… well…" she shrugged and turned to Taldir. That morning, he'd been running them through some options of magical artefacts that a Lich might covet, but he hadn't settled on anything definitive. He shrugged back. They had agreed not to specifically mention The Ghostlord.  
"We believe they have something that will make a big difference," she stated simply.  
"What?" Jarmaath asked, still flicking through papers, but clearly paying more attention now than he had been earlier.  
"We don't know…" Arden shrugged. "A prisoner let something slip, and we're heading up there to investigate."

"Rhest eh…" Jarmaath mused, stroking his chin.  
"The thing is…" Arden continued, "there's the matter of… What was it, Elantar?" She'd rather have not been drawn into the conversation, but Arden's memory for names wasn't spectacular.  
"Regiarix," she answered, after a small pause.  
"I thought as much," Jarmaath sighed. He stood, dropping the pile of papers onto a side table, and approached a glass cabinet on the side wall. He beckoned for them to follow.

"This is Attacol," he said, tapping on the glass. He was presumably referring to the ornate Longsword contained within, which sparkled with several rubies on the burnished gold pommel. It was difficult to see how good a weapon it was behind the glass, but presumably the noble leader of a city this size wouldn't have settled for shoddy workmanship.  
"My father's sword, and his before him… and several generations before that," Jarmaath continued.  
"My grandfather's great grandfather was a General in the Bears of Heldenhorne, and fought Taloth and The Black Claw in the Dark Stone wars. He was gifted this weapon for his services as a low ranking officer, and carried it for the rest of the war, eventually fighting as second in command to the great Orzan Kreuss."  
"You're from the direct line of Kalliglio Jarmaath?" Taldir asked, to everyone's surprise.  
"Indeed…" the Mayor replied. "Good to meet someone who knows their history…"  
"Three of my father's brothers died in that war…" the Wizard responded curtly.  
"Not really the time Taldir…" Arden hinted subtly.

Taldir had showed immediate recognition of the names that Jarmaath had reeled off, but Elantar was only vaguely aware of the two nations and the Goblinoid clan west of Elsir Vale, and knew little of the war that they had fought almost three centuries ago.

"This sword has been passed down from father to son since then, and has seen a lot of history…" Jarmaath continued. "I wielded her when I fought Regiarix just under twenty years ago. He was young then… I'd assume he's grown since, and may be a more dangerous adversary."  
"You… didn't want to finish the job?" Arden asked.  
"It didn't seem necessary…" he replied reluctantly. "The Dragon fled, and Brindol was safe. I haven't considered him a danger since..." He'd built his reputation on this former glory, and not much else, Elantar suspected. She doubted that he could be much help.

"Can you tell us anything useful that would help us now?" she asked anyway.  
"Black Dragons breathe acidic clouds…" he began.  
"I thought that was Green ones?" Arden interrupted.  
"It's both," Taldir answered.  
"If the magically inclined amongst you are able to cast energy resistance spells, this should be of help," he offered. "If not, you'll be able to buy potions and scrolls to give you the same effects…" he suggested. "I can give you names of vendors who should give you favourable rates, but don't expect anybody in the city to give them away."

"Lord Jarmaath," a court guard interrupted. "Captain Ulverth brings word of the reinforcements dispatched to Drellin's Ferry."  
"Send him in," Jarmaath responded, with a beckoning gesture.

A man strolled into the reception chamber; his strides were confident, perhaps in an attempt to distract from the harried look on his face. He glanced with confusion at the strangers in the hall, but had met Boshley before and recognised him after a few seconds. The two exchanged a hurried greeting.

"Lars?" Jarmaath hailed him.  
"A report from Elric sir…" Ulverth responded, hesitantly at first, but Jarmaath gestured for him to continue, despite the presence of the visitors. "He has departed Drellin's Ferry with half of his men, and around seven hundred civilians…"  
"Seven hundred!" Jarmaath responded. He looked around at Arden who shrugged sympathetically.  
"Yes, sir…" Ulverth responded. "He says this is almost all who are leaving Drellin's Ferry, but he expects to add many more from other towns on the Dawn Way." Jarmaath closed his eyes and held his head for a few moments. "The rest of Elric's unit will accompany the last few to leave, which includes all of the town's Watch and several civilians who are trained to fight when there's need… We'll have reinforcements at least when they arrive."  
"Well… That's some consolation…" Jarmaath conceded. "Has he been able to verify the threat?"  
"Not in person," Ulverth responded. "But Wiston and Soranna Anitah have received reports that they claim are reliable, and he trusts the two of them, so…" he tailed off with a shrug.

Jarmaath glanced around the room and frowned. "Lars," he eventually said. "This band of adventurers are the ones who bought that report to Drellin's Ferry. They've made the same to me…"  
"We also met this Elric fellow on the road," Boshley announced.  
"He took some convincing," Arden added, "but I'm pretty sure he believed us by the time he left."  
"He mentioned something like that…" Ulverth said. "I apologise; I hadn't realised that you were the same group when I entered, or I'd have been freer with information."

"This is going to be tougher than we first thought, Lars…" Jarmaath said, breaking a long silence, and sitting heavily as he did so.

* * *

The fort that blocked the road ahead had been hastily repaired; it was ramshackle, but still impassable. Elantar stared carefully through her spyglass, wanting to make sure of the numbers. Evening was beginning to draw in after a long day's journey north from Brindol, and the gloom made an exact count difficult.

"Nine Hobgoblin archers on the first floor, as far as I can tell. At the moment, at least…" she announced with dubious confidence. "A few have been moving between there and the ground floor over the past couple of minutes. We can count on several behind that gate as well."  
"Are they Red Hand?" Gravak asked.  
"Yes; it's our old friends…" she answered. Taldir scratched his chin, and had been tapping his foot thoughtfully for a minute or so.

"Can you see a means opening the door from the outside?" he asked her. She checked again.  
"No…" she answered after a few seconds. "Must be barred from the inside."  
"We could have tried the same trick we used at Vraath Keep," he began to suggest, gesturing to Arden, "but without being able to open the door…"

The main fort looked fairly sturdy, apart from the repairs that the Red Hand had put into effect. A wing protruded from either side though, which looked much more vulnerable. At some movement, she looked carefully again.  
"There…" she said aloud.  
"What?" Arden asked.  
"I think there's… I don't know… maybe an Ogre or something? Something tall anyway; I think it's chopping firewood… something like that…"  
"Your point being?" Taldir asked.  
"The roof's open on those sections on the side," she answered. "Could be a way in…" she had a look back through the spyglass and gave a nod. "The walls are only about fifteen feet high; I can easily climb them."  
"And leave yourself face to face with an Ogre?" Gravak asked.  
"I don't see many other options…" she frowned.

"Hold on…" Taldir said after a short pause. He rummaged in his pack, before pulling out a small glass vial of purple liquid. "One of those potions that the first Dragon was hoarding," he announced. "This will allow you to remain invisible for about three minutes."  
"That should be enough," she responded, taking it from him.  
"It won't mask your sound like a silence spell though," Taldir explained. "You'll have to be careful."  
"That won't be a problem…" Elantar replied dismissively.

"What about the rest of you?" she asked.  
"The same as Vraath Keep then?" Arden asked. Taldir nodded in agreement.

"You'll need to work fast," Taldir demanded of Elantar, "get over the wall, and get that door open before you're spotted." She nodded in agreement, and packed away the spyglass. "And don't attack anything…" he added. "The spell is not powerful enough to keep you hidden if you do that…"

They all stood huddled around Taldir, who was the centre of both spells. They could neither see nor hear one another, so shuffled slowly towards the waiting fort. Elantar kept the invisibility potion gripped in her hand; not being able to see anything she held, she had to make sure she was going to drink the correct bottle of liquid. Thirty feet from the entrance, she downed the potion, and slipped off to the left, trusting that everybody was still moving forwards.

She sprang easily up the wall and glanced over. An Ogre was stacking chopped wood in a corner, a crude oversized hatchet leaning against the wall. The door into the central section of the keep was mercifully open. She vaulted over the wall and landed lightly inside the perimeter. The Ogre didn't even flinch.

She slipped through the waiting door, and found about a dozen Hobgoblins and an Ogre talking heatedly amongst themselves and pointing to an area in front of the main gate. She couldn't understand their precise words, but they seemed to be having some sort of argument. One of them let out a continuous wail, and then walked right up to the entrance. As he got to within a few feet, he fell silent, but still had his mouth open. He clashed a sword against his shield, but made no sound.

"Idiot…" Elantar thought to herself. Taldir was standing too close to the door on the other side, and the effect of the silence spell was spilling into the keep. He had just alerted the enemy to their presence as sure as if they'd set the building alight. The second Ogre, who had been chopping wood outside answered a summons to enter, Elantar slipping quietly aside as it did so.

A Hobgoblin, who looked like she might have been in charge, called to the watchers upstairs, and received a reply. Elantar knew that they wouldn't see anybody in front of the gate. They formed a shield wall, expecting something or someone to come bursting through, and waited. With the way that the enemy were standing, there was no way for her to reach the door.

Thinking quickly, Elantar stepped towards the back of the Fort and silently drew a smokestick. She ignited it, and gently threw it just outside of the side door through which she and the Ogre had both entered. As soon as it left her hand, it became visible and then sparked and clattered on the floor. Fortunately, all enemies were facing in the other direction and didn't see where it had come from.

With a gasp, the Hobgoblin leader barked an order, and the shield wall rotated. Crucially, this left space for Elantar to reach the door unimpeded. She crept across and, knowing that she had only seconds to spare, flipped the lock of the gate open before springing back to the opposite side of the entrance hall. This did not go unnoticed, and the Red Hand operatives shifted their position again, preparing to meet any intruders who entered; the main gate was now slowly opening of its own accord.

Within seconds, the gate was flung open much more forcefully by a suddenly appearing Buttercup, who sprinted headlong at the closer of the two Ogres, and neatly decapitated it with a brutal swing of her Greatsword. Boshley was next to be revealed, as he too charged into the room on Badger-back, and thrust a new lance that he'd purchased in Brindol into the second Ogre. The rest began to slowly reveal themselves one by one, until Taldir finally stepped forwards and bathed a large section of the room in fire. A number of Hobgoblins lay charred and still, and would clearly not be returning to their feet.

Silently, Elantar approached one of the few Hobgoblins to survive Taldir's Fireball and carved a grievous wound into his back. Arden stuck him with an arrow as he collapsed, and he too fell still and silent. Buttercup pulled up a sword swing as Elantar had suddenly reappeared in front of her: she had foolishly put herself between the Barbarian and the second Ogre. She ducked and slipped sideways as the various combatants jostled for favourable positions. Buttercup moved to join Boshley in engaging the second Ogre.

"More upstairs!" Elantar called out. Arden came with her, closely followed by Gravak as they ascended two separate staircases, one to each side of the fort. They left Taldir, Buttercup and Boshley to deal with the final Ogre and one last Hobgoblin who was still on its feet.

As soon as they reached the first floor, Gravak called a pair of Owlbear Skeletons into being, who set about the archers that awaited them; with Coralyn and Taran now absent, there was no one left to complain about Gravak's magic. Elantar and Gravak himself moved to engage them also, while Arden fitted an arrow to her bow at the head of the staircase. After the first of eight Hobgoblins fell, one leapt from the window, and began to flee eastward. It had turned its ankle as it landed though, which hampered its progress for a few moments.

"Runner!" Elantar called through the window. A Hobgoblin dropped its bow right in front of her, and moved to draw a Longsword from his back. She thrust her own sword through his chest before he had the chance to do so however, and it fell to the ground with a short groan.

Taldir stepped from the main gate of fort below her, and obliterated the fleeing Hobgoblin with another Fireball. He quickly became the target of the two Hobgoblins near her who were still attempting to shoot their way out of trouble, and he took an arrow to the left shoulder for his troubles and retreated back inside. Boshley and Buttercup climbed the stairs, and the rest of the fight lasted only seconds more.


	14. Chapter 14

*** XIV ***

With night drawing in, they made a collective decision to stop for the night in the fort that they had taken. Corpses littered both floors of the main structure; mostly Hobgoblins, but the two Ogres that had been slain on the ground floor piqued Gravak's interest.

Before they had returned to Drellin's Ferry, he had been forced to abandon the skeletal Dire Wolf that he had been commanding. Coralyn and Taran had both objected to him even raising the corpse in the first place, but they simply refused to go any further with him once they had gotten to within about ten miles of the town. They voiced their objections loudly, and the rest of the party had begun to agree. When even Elantar and Taldir tried to talk him out of taking the wolf any further, Gravak eventually took the concerns on board and ordered the wolf skeleton to lie low in a remote section of the Elsir River. He'd begun to understand well that inhabitants of so-called civilised towns had no patience for the magic he was using, and that if he were discovered doing so, he would likely be thrown into a jail, eventually to be executed.

Gravak was far more interested in his intentions for these tools that he was creating: he would never set them upon an innocent populace, and didn't understand the hysteria around what he was doing. He was creating powerful allies to help to win this coming war, and perhaps eventually to guard his home, if he were ever able to reclaim it. He'd tried to explain this to Coralyn and Taran to no avail, and suspected strongly that this was part of their decision to depart separately from the rest of them: if not for Taran, then almost certainly for Coralyn.

He was still learning about this magic, but had been impressed with the robustness of the reanimated Dire Wolf, which he linked to the size of the original creature. He reasoned that one of these Ogres would make a quite able replacement, and would hopefully be tough enough to help shield him and his friends as they assaulted Rhest. He did not expect that fight to be an easy one, and was determined to use every weapon at his disposal.

"Something on your mind?" Taldir asked, interrupting his train of thought.  
"Just wondering how much onyx one of these would need to stand again…" Gravak answered. Taldir nodded slowly in response. He remembered the Wizard's warning to him at Vraath Keep, but quickly dismissed it. He was in control.

Buttercup and Boshley had begun to move the corpses from the upper room, bringing them down to the ground floor, while Elantar and Arden started a fire upstairs, preparing to cook an evening meal. They planned to strip the enemies' bodies of anything useful or valuable, leaving any newcomers in the night to be greeted by a scene of carnage. Those on watch could keep look-out from the upper floor, where glass-less windows had been built into the walls on both the northern and southern approaches. The tops of the staircases would be the easiest part of the fort to defend if anyone got in, they reasoned.

Gravak took out his pouch of onyx, and forced open the mouth of one of the dead ogres.

"Not that one…" Taldir commented. Before the Wizard had even spoken, Gravak had realised that this was the head that Buttercup had separated from shoulders at the beginning of their combat; somebody had since placed it back in an anatomically correct position. He stood and moved to the other instead, placing seven or eight small stones inside its mouth.

He stood, spoke an incantation, and felt power course through him. Seconds later, the corpse jerked, with several faint wisps of black smoke emanating from its nostrils, and between its teeth.

"Stand," he commanded firmly. The Ogre rose, and glared blankly at him. Three small onyx stones fell from its mouth, which Gravak reclaimed and replaced in his pouch. "Get the others," he added aside to Taldir, who moved to the bottom of the nearest stairs and called them down.

Elantar and Boshley both made to draw weapons when they reached the ground floor, but soon caught up with what had happened. Boshley kept his sword drawn and ready nonetheless. Buttercup and Arden took a little longer, but finally understood.  
"Looks like you won't need to keep watch tonight after all, Elantar…" the Bard quipped.

Their five horses were led in a few minutes later, after the reanimated Ogre had dumped all of the corpses of its former allies outside, along with the flesh from its own body that it no longer needed. He could have kept the Ogre skeleton animated with its tissue on its frame, but this would quickly decay, and within the next few hours would only begin to smell unpleasant. Gravak instead preferred to keep the skeleton in a relatively clean state, hoping that this would be more acceptable to his companions. They closed and barricaded the doors, with everyone back inside.

"If anyone besides us enters this room, kill them," Gravak ordered the skeleton.

* * *

They had been able to make slightly quicker progress since leaving Brindol: the three dogs that had accompanied them from the Wychwood had been left behind with an animal handler in the city. Boshley, and Boaz besides him, were riding in the cart that Gravak had salvaged from the swamp where they had killed the Hydra. Even with two horses drawing this as extra weight, they were able to move at a faster pace than the Dire Badger could have managed. The Ogre skeleton that now travelled with them had to sprint to keep up with the horses, but it was tireless and able to maintain this pace indefinitely.

"Halt!" Elantar called, bringing them to a stop about three hours into the journey north. Everybody drew in towards the cart to see what she wanted. Elantar took out a map that one of Jarmaath's men had supplied them with, and judged their location.

"We're heading for this area," she declared, pointing out an area labelled as 'The Blackfens': Rhest sat on the banks of a lake, at the western edge of this. "If we continue this way," she continued, "the road will curve in the wrong direction, taking us perhaps… ten? A dozen miles out of the way?" Taldir took the map from her, made some quick measurements with a wand and his fingers, and nodded in agreement.  
"So you want to go cross-country?" Arden asked.  
"Well…" Elantar began with a frown. "You didn't see it?" she added. Everybody looked around at each other with confusion. "That's why I stopped us here…" she continued, as she trotted back a few yards to the edge of the road. She bent back an excessively leafy branch, revealing the beginnings of a well-trodden path.  
"This isn't on the map," she explained, "but Rhest was once a major city. It'd make sense if there were old roads that led to it."  
"I'm not sure that the cart will cope with this path…" Boshley said.  
"If that's the case, it'd be slower going for the horses anyway," Taldir observed. "Boaz would be able to walk."  
"Would it be worth it?" Arden asked.  
"To cut twelve miles off of our journey?" Elantar retorted. "Absolutely."

Elantar told them to wait where they were, and rode off alone up the path. Everybody else took the opportunity to take on food. The Red Hand at the fort they had left that morning had been well supplied with good provisions, and they had carried all that they could with them. The Rogue returned twenty minutes later.

"The road holds firm for at least the next few miles, plus as far as I could see," she declared, patting the spyglass in her breast pocket. "I think we have to try it," she added with conviction.

* * *

"Whose stupid idea was this?" Taldir demanded. A few faces turned to Elantar, who smiled, slightly nervously.  
"The road was just as good as we've had from Brindol for over twenty miles," she stated. "I couldn't have predicted it would turn to this…"

They had been forced to abandon the cart several miles behind them. The path itself still held quite solid, but had narrowed too much, and become far too rocky for the cart to be of any use. Boshley's badger, now acting as a mount to the Gnome again, looked sullen, if it was possible for such an animal to do so.

The Blackfens opened up around them; their name should have provided more of a clue to the terrain, really. While the old road that they were using was solid enough, they were surrounded by waterlogged marshland. Between the reeds, larger pools of water could be seen.

And then it rained.

It was heavy too; the going became miserable, with pools of water collecting in divots on the road. The ground became softer, and mud began to spray up at them. They were becoming soaked, from above and below. Arden attempted to lift the mood with some music, but nobody was in an accepting state. The horses were all beginning to struggle, both to carry their charges, and to find good footing on the muddy path. They all dismounted to lead their animals by bit and bridle, and progress slowed to a crawl.

A growl caught their attention, just seconds before a green blur scattered water before it, and shot at Buttercup. She didn't have time to react, and a bladed wing carved at her, sending her sprawling with a deep gash in the shoulder.

The beast that had attacked her skidded to a halt in the mud, and turned with another growl. Everybody dropped the reigns of their mounts and drew weapons.

"Kill that scaly beast!" Gravak bellowed at the skeleton under his command. It moved mindlessly and obediently towards it. Gravak had never seen anything like this beast: it was slightly dragon-like in appearance, but its wings looked more weapons than means of flight. He flung a javelin at it, which it batted aside effortlessly. Boshley and Buttercup raised swords and headed straight for it, while Elantar moved quicker, but in a much less direct route, giving it more directions to face and splitting off its attention a little.

Arden continued to play, but seemed to put a little something else into her tune. Gravak felt immediately invigorated, and a little more confident. Elantar and the Ogre skeleton had almost reached the beast, but before they engaged, Taldir landed a fireball perfectly on its back. He had hurt it, but it didn't appear to be seriously hindered. If anything, Taldir had only angered the monster.

The beast lunged forwards to bite at the skeleton, swiping a wing in its direction at the same time. It reeled at these blows, but remained standing, swinging a club back at it. It reared, and opened its jaws, breathing gas across the skeleton that began to corrode its bones. Elantar jumped aside, avoiding most of the gas cloud and swung her swords into the side of the beast's neck. It howled in agony, and turned to threaten her.

The Ogre Skeleton swung its club again, making a solid thud with the beast's head. It snapped its jaws at the skeleton once again, and bought both wings around, swinging though its body, and cutting it down. Its bones collapsed into several smaller pieces, just as Buttercup reached it, slicing into its opposite flank. It turned again as Boshley arrived seconds later, plunging his sword into the monster's mouth and up through the top of its head. He withdrew his weapon as the beast collapsed and lay still. The Gnome rested a foot on its neck and raised his sword in a gesture of victory.

"Wot was dat?" Buttercup asked. Gravak was not alone in his ignorance of the beast's identity: nobody recognised it.  
"Was it sent for us?" Arden asked. "Or were we just a potential meal?"  
"Let's see what it eats…" Elantar said, taking out a dagger. She cut into its gut, releasing a foul smelling gas. Gravak kicked at the remains of his skeleton. He had to find tougher creatures to raise if they were going to be successful… although arguably, it had done its job of protecting everyone from harm very well.

"Well… it's meat," Elantar declared, after poking around for a minute or so. She couldn't be more specific than that. "Hold on," she added after a few more seconds. She lifted her dagger; there was a dirty, yet valuable-looking ring on the end of it.

"Company!" Taldir called, spinning and pointing skyward.

The rain continued to hammer down, and with it came…  
"Owls…" Elantar observed. She had taken out her spyglass, and was gazing through it up at the sky. "Six Giant Owls…" she added. "No; seven."  
"They're descending," Arden observed, "Guys; we have nowhere to hide…"  
"Hide?" Boshley asked. "From Owls?"  
"There are Elves riding them," Elantar answered. "They're as likely to be hostile as friendly." Gravak didn't think this was particularly likely, but given the Rogue's experience of Elven culture, forgave her scepticism.

Not long after they were first spotted, the first of the Owls landed, the Elf riding on its back dismounting gracefully with a leap. She was quickly joined by the rest, all brandishing spears in their direction.

"Weapons down," the first Elf ordered, "and names," she added. Nobody was quick to obey.  
"Given that you've just descended on us without warning," Arden responded after a few moments, "quite aggressively, I might add – how about you lower your weapons and give us your names first?"

The Elf leader raised her eyebrows and smirked. At a clipped word in Elvish, her companions slowly began to close in.  
"Oh, come on!" Boshley called, and pointedly put his sword down, quite vigorously into the corpse of the recently slain beast. Other weapons followed, and soon everyone was unarmed, save Elantar who still brandished her dagger.  
"You!" the Elf in charge pointed at her. She closed with the Rogue, and then stopped short. "Where did you get that?" she asked, concern evident on her face.  
"This?" Elantar asked, flicking the ring from the end of her dagger, and catching it in her other hand. "In the gut of that…" she answered, gesturing to the beast with her dagger.  
"You recognise it?" Arden asked, in a softer tone.  
"It was my brother's…" she nodded sadly.

Further investigation by the Elves led them to discover the remains of another Giant Owl, and an Elf called Braemir Nightshadow. Trellara, who had identified as his sister, wept bitterly at this, but said it had confirmed her suspicions: he had not been heard from in almost two weeks. She sang a soft lament, which was one of the most beautiful things that Gravak had ever heard.

Trellara Nightshadow claimed her brother's ring from Elantar, who gave it up gladly. She was rewarded with a potion, which Trellara claimed would give her concealment when she fought. Talk soon turned to the beast that had been Braemir's demise.

"There have been a number of these on the roads between Starsong Hill and Rhest in the past few weeks," Trellara explained. "But never this far south, until now."  
"We've never seen anything like them before," Taldir responded. "Are they common in these parts?"  
"Not until recently…" she answered. "Greenspawn Razorfiends," she said, giving them a label. "There are Hobgoblins occupying Rhest, along with The Wyrm… They are breeding them."  
"The Wyrm being?" Arden asked.  
"A Black Dragon…" she answered.  
"Regiarix," Elantar added.  
"You know of him?" Trellara asked with surprise.  
"That's our target," Arden replied.  
"You're Dragon Hunters?" she asked.  
"For now…" Arden answered. "There's something much bigger going on; Rhest is just part of an upcoming invasion. Are you familiar with The Red Hand?" Trellara gave a tentative nod.  
"The Hobgoblins in Rhest are wearing that emblem…" she replied cautiously.

"Well…" Trellara added after a short pause. "If you're enemies of The Wyrm, you'll find welcome in Starsong Hill. This road is not the best way to get there though." Taldir scowled at Elantar, who shrugged with a small grin.  
"The North Road?" Boshley asked, also glaring at Elantar.  
"That's much further," Trellara replied, "but easier going. I meant that we'd take you by Owl."  
"Great," Elantar grinned, and approached the nearest Owl, which quickly backed away with caution. Arden also looked happy at this prospect and approached a different Owl, who regarded her on friendlier terms.

"What about the horses?" Gravak asked.  
"And Boaz!" Boshley added. "Besides…" the Gnome continued, "I don't think you'll get me on one of those things!"

* * *

The last few hours of the journey had been the hardest. Gravak didn't want to be petty about it, but he definitely felt a slight twinge of resentment at being one of those left to walk while the others had an easy flight to the Elven village. He had been pleased to get some distance from the Elves though. One of them had spotted the crumbled Ogre Skeleton, and was asking far too many questions. Arden had lied pretty convincingly to tell them that they had no idea what it was, and that the remains had been there before them. It had held off the questions, but Gravak was glad for the reduced scrutiny on the issue.

"We made good time in the end," Mithranir smiled. Starsong Hill rose before them, and they'd be at a fireside in just a few minutes time. Mithranir had accompanied him and Boshley, along with all of their mounts, from the site of their battle with the beast: the Elves had actually drawn lots to decide who would have to walk back with them, the loser being roundly mocked by his friends.

Greenspawn Razorfiends…

He ruminated on them for a while. The beast had been an incredibly tough adversary, and Buttercup had needed a great deal of attention from Arden, who'd healed her afterwards. Trellara Nightshadow had said something about them being bred in Rhest. Facing more of these monsters was not something that Gravak was going to relish.

The long trudge to this village, which was bringing them a little out of their way for Gravak's liking, had consisted mostly of more rain. There was a little excitement when a pair of crocodiles attempted to make a meal of some of the horses, but they had beaten them back. Mithranir had proved himself a decent fighter in the process, and he gained some respect in Gravak's eyes. Still; the thoughts of a good rest in a welcoming village, and a decent meal of crocodile steak at the end of the hike, had kept his spirits up.

"Mithranir!" Trellara called to him as they passed through the town gate. "Well met again," she added, to Boshley and Gravak with a small bow. "You are summoned to Illian's hut," she declared.  
"Who's Illian?" Boshley asked.  
"The most powerful Cleric in Starsong Hill," Mithranir answered.  
"He and Sellyria, the leader of our community, await you."  
"We can't rest first?" Gravak asked.  
"There will be time later," she promised.

Trellara delivered them to Illian, and then departed, still singing the same lament for her brother. They discovered the rest of their companions finishing a hearty meal and drinking wine.

"Did you save us any?" Boshley asked as they entered.  
"Elethrin!" a male Elf called. "More food for our guests." A young Elf waiting at the side of the room left, and returned a couple of minutes later with bowls of fruit, cheese and bread.

Talk of Rhest continued for another twenty minutes or so, while Gravak saw to his empty stomach. The conversation had evidently been going on for a while already. Gravak learned little that Jarmaath and his people in Brindol hadn't already told them. What he did learn was that Starsong Hill feared the Dragon, and felt that they were ill-equipped to deal with it. There was no telling how much resistance they would find in Rhest, and Gravak began to feel apprehensive at the chances of the six of them surviving the coming fight. When Sellyria began to speak of sending help with them, he began to pay more attention again.  
"I'll introduce you," she declared, standing and waiting for everyone to join her.

She led them across the village, towards a larger wooden structure that looked like it was functioning as a tavern.  
"Who is this that you're taking us to?" Arden asked.  
"My son," Sellyria answered with a smile. Gravak considered this an impressive gesture: the leader of the community sending her own son with them showed great confidence in their endeavour.  
"Wait here," she said when they reached the building.

She opened the door to a noisy room, which quickly fell quiet. "It's time," he heard her call.  
"I think you'll like him; he's spent a lot of time away from the village, so is accustomed to your lifestyle," she explained.

A familiar figure stepped out of the building and smirked at them.


	15. Chapter 15

*** XVI ***

She couldn't quite believe how brazen he was being about it. He simply stood before them, grinning, not even really that surprised. Nobody said anything for quite a while.

"You dirty thief!" Gravak eventually bellowed, making all around him jump in surprise. He launched himself at Eldarion, who very quickly stopped smiling. Looking back later, Arden wouldn't have been able to explain it, but she found herself moving to intercept the Orc, who probably had at least a hundred and fifty pounds on her. Inevitably, he brushed her off with ease, Boshley too, who had also moved to step in. They both tumbled to the floor, Arden springing straight back up, but Boshley remaining sprawled at Sellyria's feet.

As the Cleric raised a fist to strike, flames suddenly leapt between them, forcing both to take a quick step backwards.

"Enough!" Sellyria yelled. "What is the meaning of this?"  
"This thieving scum robbed us, and left us part way through a monster infested mine!" Gravak snapped at her.  
"Really?" she asked sceptically, turning to her son. "This doesn't appear to match your version of events…" Eldarion cast his eyes down, abashed for a few seconds. Arden knew well that only one's own mother could make you feel that way.  
"Perhaps I didn't steal anything," Eldarion stated, glaring back up at Gravak. "Maybe I just took what I felt was owed to me; have you thought of it that way?" Gravak glowered for a couple of seconds, and made a fairly convincing show of turning away. Well, a good enough show to fool Eldarion anyway.

The flames were suddenly extinguished by several gallons of water. Gravak leapt across the soggy ground and grabbed the Ranger by the throat. Buttercup moved to try to pull him back, but even her considerable strength couldn't match his fury.

Arden was in no special hurry, so laboriously took out her flute. She didn't mind seeing Eldarion squirm, but had no intention of seeing Gravak go down as the murderer of one of the village's favoured sons. Guards were already moving in to seize him.

She began to play: a haunting tune directed straight at Gravak's mind. He dropped Eldarion, who fell back gasping for breath, Gravak falling into a stupor and walking away from the scene. He sat down at a table outside of the tavern and simply enjoyed the music.

Sellyria moved to check that her son was well, but glared angrily at him at the same time.

"My Lady?" a tall guard questioned Sellyria. He led a small unit of four who had responded to the commotion. They stood by with spears lowered in Gravak's direction, but were confused by his indifference to them.  
"Stand down Celethrin," she ordered. The guards reluctantly put up their weapons and stood aside, but still at attention.  
"Thank you for your intervention," Sellyria directed at Arden. She continued to play for a little longer, reluctant to let Gravak resume what he was doing before. She slowly finished her tune, and simply hoped that the Cleric would remain peaceful. He continued to sit, impassive with a glazed-over expression.

"I don't know what Eldarion's version of events was," she answered Sellyria, "but I can assure you that Gravak told it accurately."  
"That's unfortunate…" the town leader replied. She glared at Eldarion again for a few seconds, who had recovered from his near-throttling, was glowing red in the face, and would not look anyone in the eye. "I can promise you, he won't be stealing any more from you," she continued. Eldarion met her gaze, and nodded in agreement. He meant it; at least for now. The rest of her companions looked on, with a mixture of emotions: Taldir and Elantar showing contempt for him, and Buttercup displaying confused anger. Boshley was the only one who seemed pleased to see him again. Arden, while not feeling particularly forgiving towards him, felt relieved to have found him again; if nothing else, she may get some answers to questions that had been plaguing her for the past week or so.

Gravak took his feet again, causing the guards to react with some hostility. They stood down slightly at a gesture from Sellyria, but remained alert. Arden saw the Cleric notice that he was surrounded, and trusted his wisdom to act sensibly. He shook his head in an attempt to refocus: Arden had never been on the receiving end of this particular magic, so couldn't specifically sympathise with his position, but understood that it must have been a difficult experience.

"I'm sorry that I had to do that…" she said cautiously to him. "It was the only way to keep you safe in the moment."  
"I understand…" he nodded.  
"Come, come!" Boshley announced chirpily. "There's been no real harm done… the amount that we had taken from us wasn't especially significant; this should surely be a happier occasion than we're making it!"  
"We may be able to negotiate an agreement…" Taldir responded. "But that should begin with re-establishing honour. I take it you can return what you stole?"  
"I, uhm…" Eldarion began. "I don't quite… have it anymore."  
"I am not surprised in the slightest," Gravak spat.  
"Let's just forget the money, shall we?" Boshley suggested. "Are you short on cash Gravak? Taldir?" he asked looking to all of them. "Is anyone here struggling to make ends meet and afford food or shelter for the night?" he added, reaching for his money pouch.  
"I'll repay the debt that Eldarion owes us," he continued, beginning to empty coins into his palm. Sellyria looked at him with admiration. Eldarion too. Gravak, Taldir and Elantar all frowned, perhaps with some shame. "I believe that we estimated the value to be about three hundred gold pieces?" Boshley continued, starting to count out platinum coins and a few gems. Buttercup took out her coin pouch too.  
"Don' pay all ovvit, I wanna shere da cost," she said. Boshley beamed up at her.  
"Thank you Buttercup, that's very generous of you!" he replied.

"Let's…" Elantar began. "Look… Stop!" she demanded. They both paused their counting. "Let's forget about the money," she added. "I'm far more concerned with trust. If we're supposed to work together," she continued, now directing her words at Eldarion, "how can we trust you to not leave us in danger again?" He looked confidently back at her and gave a fairly convincing answer.

"I want to earn your trust again…" he said simply. "All of you." Gravak laughed mirthlessly.  
"You have a long way to go to even earn my respect again; trust may never return," he said firmly, punctuating his words with an aggressive finger jab into Eldarion's chest. The Ranger reeled back a little, and the guards tensed slightly. He stood defiantly though, and returned the Cleric's glare.  
"I intend to earn both…" he insisted.

"This Dragon – Regiarix – has loomed over this village for several years," Eldarion said, beginning to pace gently. "I've sworn to be involved in killing him since he first threatened our safety; if you're going to Rhest to confront him, I refuse to be left behind."  
"I'm not convinced that we need you…" Taldir replied. "We haven't seen you for five or six weeks, and we've been getting on just fine in the meantime."  
"That may be so…" Elantar responded, rounding on the Wizard, "but having the extra hands will be helpful. Vraath Keep… Skull Gorge… they were both hard won victories for us… but they'd have been a little easier with Eldarion's skills."  
"You believe this weasel?" Gravak asked Elantar directly. It was noticeable that the two of them almost always agreed with one another when differences of opinion arose. Gravak looked as if he felt betrayed by Elantar as she spoke up for the Ranger.  
"I don't know…" she answered reluctantly. "I echo your words on trust and respect; but I know that I want to believe him. Arden?" She knew Elantar recognised that she couldn't read people anywhere near as well Arden could herself. She paused to check back over her thoughts… Yes; that was what she meant.

"I believe him…" she stated, looking apologetically towards Gravak, and then Taldir. "Even if it's only to fight this Dragon, we should team up again."  
"I'd like more than that…" Eldarion replied. He was pushing his luck a bit, Arden thought. "Regiarix, and whoever he's working with now, may be a serious threat to Starsong Hill, but I recognise that what's going on at Rhest is only a small part of a greater problem… This war is coming for all of us, and I want to play my part in ending it."  
"You can do that just as well among your own kind…" Gravak stated bluntly.  
"Starsong Hill stands undecided on how much intervention we'll have in the war," Sellyria cautioned.  
"You're going to try to stay out of it?" Elantar asked.  
"Like I said," Sellyria replied tersely, "we haven't yet decided." Eldarion glanced sidelong at her; he at least didn't agree with his mother's passive stance on the war.

"Look…" Boshley began. "There's clearly a lot to discuss, and we're standing right outside a tavern. Eldarion, how's the ale here?"  
"Good…" he replied.  
"Then the first round's on me," Boshley declared. "Let's sit round a table, share a drink and work out the finer details there, shall we?"

Boshley's good ideas were few and far between, but he'd struck gold with this one. Gravak and Taldir remained, at best, indifferent towards Eldarion, but the rest of them were keen to hear what he'd been up to in the past few weeks. Elantar did her best, as usual, to look like she didn't care for the conversation, but Arden was pleased to see her gradually warm to the company.

Eldarion made one thing very clear: he was going to fight the Dragon. Whether they wanted him there or not, he was coming. It would be ludicrous to turn down the extra help; they expected strong resistance at the ruined city, these Greenspawn Razorfiends amongst the enemies they were preparing to face. It was going to be tough, but Elantar had been right: it would be a little easier with Eldarion's help. Beyond that? Arden was prepared to see how tomorrow went; Eldarion had a lot to do to redeem himself.

"Ar'en…" Buttercup whispered to her.  
"Hmm?" she replied, realising that she'd taken her attention from the table.  
"I wanna do a powem," she announced. Elves were almost exclusively highly cultured; even Arden sometimes got nervous performing in front of them due to their high expectations. Buttercup would be a tricky sell…  
"Here?" she asked, attempting to somehow convey warning, whilst avoiding the appearance of belittling the Barbarian. She had been coming on very well, truth be told, but Arden doubted she was ready for as tough a crowd as this.  
"Yeah… the wun about Skull Gorje…"

Buttercup had written… well… written couldn't technically be correct, her illiteracy considered…

Buttercup had composed a saga about the party's encounter with The Red Hand at Skull Gorge. While she couldn't put the words down on parchment, she had managed to record the story using a set of images that she scratched out with an inkpen. Arden found this swirling vortex of ink incomprehensible, but it had worked remarkably well for Buttercup, giving her visual clues to be able to recall the story, almost verbatim every time. The content of her poem was fantastic, and with them all being painted as Dragon slayers, it would be apt, and highly beneficial for the story to be told. The only concern was Buttercup's delivery.

"Can you 'elp, like we practiced in Brindull?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer.

"'Ere!" she bellowed, thumping a fist three times on the table. The whole room fell silent. Inside, the tavern had turned out to be much bigger than it had looked from the road. It looked and felt like half the town were present. "Got a story for ya!" Buttercup declared, and leapt thunderously onto the table. The Elf behind the bar tensed, then breathed a sigh of relief as the table looked safe, at least for now. Around the table, all looked concerned, except Taldir, who seemed to be finding this very funny. Eldarion was shocked into silence: Buttercup hadn't been expressing herself artistically when he had last seen them all. She cleared her throat, saw that everyone looked to her, and began loudly.

" _It begins, west of 'ere, where da ferry drifts;  
_ _Floats about, on Elsir, da river ov da Vale_.  
 _Drellin made it, 'e did, to get ova the wartah;  
_ _Wen da bridj come tumblin' down_."

Arden had missed her cue. Buttercup glanced down, and nudged her with a boot. There was nothing else for it. She gave an encouraging smile back, waved in apology, began to play, and hoped…

" _We found em dere_ , _Da Red 'And, attacking,  
_ _Dey frettened ta cum, wiv axes hackin'  
_ _Smashin' an' grabbin', an' takin' it all;  
_ _Smasin' it all ta dust._

" _Dere was nuffin else forrit, dey 'ad ta be stoppt,  
_ _We carried a warning, delivered it up;  
_ _Kritch sed more were cummin', and as warnings go  
_ _Dat's a bit much to ignore."_

Buttercup leapt down from the table, sending a couple of tankards flying as she did. A small cheer went up from the far corner of the room; some of them were actually enjoying this…

" _Norf we went, and found a keep,  
_ _Elintarr went and 'ad a creep;  
_ _She came back an' told us Da Red 'And was dere,  
_ _An' we went in an' smashed 'em up."_

The room had picked up on Buttercup's rhythm, which Arden was taking her lead from. Most of the locals were clapping along in time.

" _A Bugbear was dere, an' afta we killed 'im,  
_ _We found a map wiv da secret plan,  
_ _An invayshun was cummin, we'd all soon be ded;  
_ _Unless we could stop it, ov corse._

" _We carried on norf, an' came to a bridj,  
_ _Da Red 'And garded it, 'oldin' it til,  
_ _Da hordes dissendid to conka Da Vale,  
_ _An' burn it all to da grownd._

" _Dere weren't just 'Obgoblins, uvvas as well;  
_ _Two Ghossdoggs stood an' blocked da trail,  
_ _An' on da uvver side, bold as brass,  
_ _A Green Dragon took flite, an' it growled, an' it roared."_

There was even more interest in the room at the mention of the Dragon. There was no telling whether or not the locals were taking this as a true story, but it couldn't harm their reputations either way.

" _Scarpa!" We fort, "Get outta da way!"  
_ _It breeved in deep, an' it flew righ' at us.  
_ _Den gas came out of its massiv gob,  
_ _An' we choked, an' we spluttered an' fell.  
_

" _We looked for cuvva, but dere wasn't dat much,  
_ _Taran woz down, an' we fort 'e woz ded,  
_ _Corilin, sed 'e woz alive instead,  
_ _She stuck an 'and on is 'ed an then 'e_ _Koffed an' sat up an' breeved._

" _Taawdeer looktup, rite inda da eyes,  
_ _Of da Dragon dat woz playgin da skies,  
_ _He zapped it wiv webz, an' it crashed to da grownd,  
_ ' _An I smacked it wun wiv me sorrd._

" _Den Gravak woz dere, An' Arrdin as well,  
_ _Bosh held da bridj, an woz givvin 'em hell,  
_ _Butta'cup smakt it agen an' agen,  
_ _An' made da Dragon 'urt._

" _Elintarr entered, dropped down from da towah,  
_ _She sprin'id ovva, an' looked at da monsata,  
_ _She berried 'er sorrd, righ' up to da hilt,  
_ _Righ' in da Dragon's left eye._

A cheer went up at this point: there was definite local hatred for Dragons, no doubt borne of several years living under threat from Regiarix. Buttercup waited a couple of bars for the cheer to quiet sufficiently. She was learning to read a crowd well.

" _Now Bosh 'eld da bridj, like I sed biffor,  
_ ' _E was beatin' 'em bak, wiv is shilld an' is sorrd,  
_ _I joynd 'im dere, and stabbed sum up,  
_ ' _An Gravak smackt 'em in da 'ed._

" _Soon dere woz wun, an' Bosh called 'im out,  
_ " _I'll fite yer meself!" he offurd da boss.  
_ " _Alrigh" sed he, an' reddyed 'is speer,  
_ _An' Bosh swung 'is sorrd an' charged._

" _Da 'Obgoblin frust his speer ta catch,  
_ _Da charge of da Nome, but Bosh woz too kwik,  
_ ' _E tried iz best, but it wasn' a match,  
_ _An' Bosh nocked 'im down wiv a flik._

" _We tied 'im up, and 'e gave us sum arnsas,  
_ _But dere were enemy comin' ta get us,  
_ _Dey needed da bridj, but it we stood in da way,  
_ _It woz getting' dark at da end ov da day._

" _Elintarr looked, an' fownd a krak,  
_ _Lowcated a place for me ta smak,  
_ _I 'it it, an'd smakt it, an' chipped it away,  
_ ' _An da bridj come tumblin' down_!"

Buttercup stood triumphant, as the whole room took their feet and cheered. Arden couldn't believe she'd ever doubted her. The cynical part of her wondered if perhaps the surprise of seeing a Half-Orc perform had bought some sympathy, but even she, a self-professed expert on performance, couldn't deny that Buttercup had actually done really well, regardless of any other factors.


	16. Chapter 16

*** XVI ***

"Gravak?" she called after knocking. There were footsteps.  
"What is it?" he asked, snatching open the door.  
"I've been sent to see what the hold-up is…" she answered. He released the door, and it swung all the way open. She followed him in as he turned back to the room.

"Forgive my terseness," he began. "It's impossible to sleep on a bed the size that your people make. I had to make do with the floor." His bedroll was just one of many things scattered around the room. Elantar had never seen him in such disarray.  
"What happened in here?" she asked.  
"I've just been… checking," Gravak explained.  
"Checking?" she asked, confused.  
"If we're going to be in the presence of a thief again, I'm going to be careful about my belongings," he said, expanding on his previous statement.  
"I see…" she grinned. "I don't really think there's that much to worry about anymore… He's in this for the Dragon."

"I'm short seven silver pieces," Gravak announced. He looked furious; he flung some clothing aside, after checking pockets.  
"You always keep seven silver pieces in that pouch that you keep junk in," Elantar replied.  
"Junk?" Gravak asked. "You mean my spell component pouch?" She shrugged. He checked it, and found his missing coins. "Wait… how did you know?"  
"You've commented in the past on how observant I am, and now you're surprised?" she postured.  
"It was supposed to be secret…" he said.  
"If I wanted to steal from you, it'd be easy," she explained. "But I haven't yet, and I'm not going to. I can help you to secure things a little better though…"  
"We'll perhaps look at that when we return from Rhest," Gravak answered. He began to collect his belongings.

"Want a hand?" Elantar offered.  
"No… I'll be down in a few minutes," he responded. She nodded, stood, and turned to leave. "I'm just going to have one more check…" he added, as she closed the door.

* * *

"It's six hours to Rhest by foot," Sellyria explained, "or about an hour as the Owl flies. The ground in a direct line is all marsh, or the road is a long detour…"

Boshley and Arden both looked a little concerned that Giant Owl was looking the most likely method of transport. Arden hadn't coped especially well when they'd last flown, and needed about an hour to get over her sickness afterwards. Boshley had been relieved at that time to have an excuse to walk, but there were no viable alternatives here; Sellyria had even promised that Boaz would be safe clinging to the back of an Owl.

The flight itself proved uneventful, but Boshley, Boaz, Arden and Gravak all took a little time to recover, and were glad to be back on their feet once they had reached Rhest.

"It takes some getting used to…" Eldarion explained, "but it's worth it."

"You're leaving us here?" Elantar asked Killiar, one of the Tiri-Kitor Elves. She'd taken a look through her spyglass, and noticed that they were going to need to get across a lake somehow: the ruined buildings sat within the body of water.  
"We're under orders to go no further than here," he replied. And with that, they were remounting, and bidding them farewell. Eldarion looked tersely after them.

"I'm with you," he announced after they'd taken off. "I hate how insular they're being about this, expecting others to win their fight for them." There were some murmurs of ascent, but this was a fairly feeble attempt at winning some of them back over.

Elantar moved forwards, keeping within the foliage, and looked again. Eldarion moved to join her.  
"Can I take a look?" he asked. She didn't respond. "Elantar?"  
"Just a minute…" she hissed.

There were two distinct buildings in the lake; both of them probably the tallest surviving structures from the ancient city. From what Taldir had told them all about its history, they knew that Rhest had flooded at some time in its tragic past, and this had ultimately been its downfall: the remainder of the formerly large city would be submerged. Crude wooden structures had been erected all around the edge of the lake: she hadn't handed the spyglass over while she tried to find out what was inhabiting them.

"Lizardfolk…" she finally identified. She handed Eldarion the spyglass, and turned back to the others.

"They won't be particularly challenging," Elantar announced, telling them about the first obstacle they would have to overcome, "but we'll need to deal with them first. They stand between us and the towers."  
"Any sign of the Dragon?" Gravak asked.  
"No," she answered. A frustrated sigh built throughout those gathered.

"There are Hobgoblins in the Bell Tower," Eldarion announced as he re-joined them. Elantar cut him off before he could say any more.  
"Seven, armed with Longbows," she interrupted. "There are three boats tied to a jetty at the foot of that tower, which, if we can get to them, may be our best hope of crossing." Eldarion looked frustrated. She didn't care; she'd got used to her scouting role without him, and was keen to keep working without his direct help.

"Well… we certainly can't swim it," Boshley stated. "Or not all of us, at any rate."  
"Agreed," Gravak replied. "I won't be able to swim wearing my armour, and I'm not going up against a Dragon without it." Buttercup nodded in agreement too.

"We could try drawing the Dragon over here?" Arden suggested. "Or at least draw as much attention as we can… If we can fight from this side of the lake, the crossing will be much easier afterwards."

They took a quick vote on this: the decision to go with Arden's plan was almost unanimous. Taldir theorised that they would lose the element of surprise by doing this, and that it would simply make things harder.

Eldarion suggested a distraction: about two hundred yards around the lake to the left, one hut stood more isolated and looked quiet: setting it on fire could cause a distraction that could aid them. Elantar went with him to put the plan into motion.

"So…" Eldarion began cautiously. "How have you been?"  
"This isn't the time," Elantar hissed. Three Lizardfolk were jogging past them, less than fifty feet away. They had stopped to let them pass. She had no interest in answering his question anyway.  
"It sounded like I missed out on quite a lot," he continued to whisper.  
"Shut up…" she demanded under her breath.  
"Oh come on… You must have missed me, just a little?" he asked with a grin. She turned to glare at him in silence. She fixed him with an angry gaze until his smile finally faded and he turned away.

"Clear," she said, as soon as the Lizardfolk were far enough past.

They approached the hut silently, and had managed to get right up to it without being seen. The surrounding brush gave good enough cover. Elantar would have burnt most of it away if she was living here, she pondered: it was far too easy to infiltrate.

Eldarion sparked his flint and tinder, igniting a small pile of grass and reeds that he'd hastily thrown together. It caught, and would engulf the hut within a couple of minutes. They slipped away, returning the way that they had come.

O-O-O

"They've done it…" he spotted, and stood up sharply. Now they would find out if this plan would work. Gravak looked out keenly across the lake. There was no sign of the Dragon, but the fire had been spotted. There was a great commotion among the Lizardfolk, who all fled into the depths of the lake. The bell on the tower where The Red Hand were waiting began to chime.

Taldir gave three slow hand claps when Elantar and the Traitor returned.  
"Well done!" he snapped. "You've given us away beautifully!"  
"Okay…" Arden breathed. "There was a flaw there…"  
"What do we do now?" Boshley asked.  
"We need…" Arden began. Taldir shouted something angrily at her, but Gravak couldn't understand his words. The Elves clearly all could though.  
"We need a bigger distraction," she said assertively anyway, drawing herself up against the Wizard. She had about half a foot on him, but he gazed up at her, unperturbed. Finally, he slowly began to nod.

"Nice little fire you set there," he said aside to the two who'd just returned. "Now let me show you a real one!"

He muttered something and began to walk towards the lake, but somehow remained standing where he was at the same time. This continued, until five identical Taldirs were strolling towards the water. They all began to float upwards, and a few seconds later, disappeared from view. Those that remained looked confused at one another. Someone even suggested that they might not see him again.

The explosion, when it came, was enough to distract anything. The entire top two floors of the bell tower were decimated; masonry, Hobgoblin corpses and fragments of bell flying in all directions and hitting the lake with dozens of splashes. Squinting into the bright flame, Taldir, or rather five Taldirs, floated before the tower, and were turning back to them. Everybody fell silent, and simply stared open-mouthed across the lake.

Taldir had begun his retreat, when a column of dark water burst up from the foot of the second building. It fell away, revealing the Black Dragon, which turned and headed straight for the Wizard.

Gravak gripped the small wooden token of Tontor that he carried, and cast shields of Acid Resistance on himself and Buttercup. Everybody else either read from scrolls or drank potions to give them the same protection; they had heeded Jarmaath's advice well and planned to do this as soon as the Dragon was visible. Nobody had thought to fill the Traitor in on this part of the plan though, and he looked on with confusion, and a little concern. " _Good_ …" Gravak thought to himself. He pulled a javelin out from his sling, and prepared to hurl it skyward as soon as the Dragon was in range. Regiarix was closing on Taldir, and there were now only three versions of him visible.

Buttercup drank something, and then began to float into the air. She hefted her sword, and began to fly out above the lake, attempting to intercept the Dragon.

"When did she learn to do that?" the Traitor called out, interrupted from preparing his bow. An empty glass vial dropped from Buttercup's grasp and smashed on the ground just next to him.

"Buttercup… Wait!" Gravak called. She refused defiantly, and continued, determined to rescue the Wizard. Gravak cursed: he'd been hoping that Taldir would reach the shore again unaided. If Buttercup met the Dragon where it was, their attempts to draw it to ground would be in vain.

Regiarix reached the closest copy of Taldir and bit down. There was a collective sigh of relief as it simply disappeared. This left Taldir with only one protective decoy though, and he was now definitely in danger, and still around two hundred feet away. The Traitor and Arden both began to fire, hitting the beast at least once, but not slowing it. As Buttercup closed, Gravak saw her get shot by some return fire. This made no sense at first, until he saw a small creature riding on the Dragon's back. Buttercup crashed into the Dragon, swinging her Greatsword into the beast's flank, but it seemed to bounce harmlessly off of its scales. The Dragon pulled up shortly where it was, its rider clinging on to adjust its balance. He could see it clearer now: a Goblin armed with a Longbow, wearing a grey fur cloak.

Gravak dropped his javelin into the mud behind him, and clutched his symbol of Tontor again. "You!" he bellowed at the rider, "Approach!"

The Goblin stood, his eyes glazed-over, and walked across the Dragon's head. He didn't stop, and dropped towards the lake, Buttercup cleaving a significant wound into his torso as he fell.

These distractions had bought Taldir time to escape, and he and his remaining double hovered above them now. Buttercup retreated too, drawing the Dragon closer to them. Arrows flew at it as it neared, and it opened its jaws, breathing acid in a line across them. Most of them resisted the attack pretty well, but the Traitor looked a little hurt.

The Dragon retreated, following the ripples on the lake and diving into the centre of them. Everybody took the time that they had bought to heal; either from his and Arden's magic, or from potions that they carried. After a minute or so, the Dragon had not re-appeared. Buttercup flew away once more, heading straight for the now ruined tower to inspect the three boats that were moored there. She returned a couple of minutes later, towing two of them across the water.

He'd hoped somehow to avoid this, but began to see no alternative… He would need to sail across the lake to get to the buildings; they had no more flight spells available. Trying to spread the weight as evenly as possible, Gravak, the heaviest member of the party sat beside Elantar, the lightest, in one boat. Arden, Boshley and the Traitor climbed into the other with Boaz. The two Taldirs remained floating above, while Buttercup pulled the ropes taught, and began to tow them across to the ruined buildings jutting from the lake.

There were figures mounting the third boat – perhaps some survivors from Taldir's Fireball. Most likely, they were on a floor lower down the building, and had been unaffected by his destructive spell. Elantar had spotted them too, and was observing them through her spyglass. She handed it to him.

"Their armour looks pretty impressive…" she said. "Larger than most Hobgoblins we've seen so far too."

"They don't look especially intimidated," Gravak added in observation. They had spotted Buttercup, and were readying weapons as they pushed off from the jetty.

"What was that!" came Arden's panicked cry from the other boat. Their vessel rocked, and a Lizardman leapt up from the lake. Boshley cut it down in short order, but it was soon replaced by four others. Elantar kicked out at one of the Lizardfolk who now emerged to threaten their boat and crunched its jaw. She whipped out a sword and took its head off a second later. Three more leapt up, Gravak cracking his mace down on the head of one, and Elantar running through a second. Bright purple energy struck a third, as Taldir swooped down, gliding over them to help those in the other boat. The Traitor, Boshley and Arden were swinging at them with spear, sword and rapier respectively, and finally saw them off.

Buttercup continued to float towards the buildings, moving to intercept the two hugely built Hobgoblins who were rowing powerfully straight for them. Pulling the boats was becoming easier as she built momentum. She grabbed for her rope with her free hand; her grappling hook tied to one end, then swung it a couple of times around her head and let fly, striking the floor of the boat. The hook crashed straight through the timber, causing the Hobgoblins to cease their rowing and turn to one another in panic. The now ruined boat began to sink, taking the enemy with it. One clutched at his armour, trying desperately to remove it in time to swim away, but he was quickly submerged along with the other. They did not see either of them again.

"Ogres!" Elantar called. She lowered her spyglass, but none of them needed it to see the enemy that now awaited them. Five of the brutes waited at the foot of the still largely intact building. The Traitor immediately began to fire on them as they closed to about seventy feet, bringing the first one down in short order. Arden added her fire to his, and between them they dropped a second just as they made landfall.

Gravak leapt from the boat as soon as he could: he was in no hurry to get back in a boat any time soon. He needed to pause for a few seconds to find his balance again; his legs felt numb, and he finally understood the term 'sea legs' that he'd often heard fishermen use. Everybody engaged the Ogres as best they could, but all were moving a little awkwardly now that they were back on solid ground. Gravak conjured up a couple of Owlbear Skeletons, calling them into being directly behind the Ogres. He enjoyed the surprise on the Traitor's face as he discovered something else that one of them had learnt to do in his absence.

Taldir had slain another Ogre, cracking a lightning bolt into it, when the lake behind them erupted. The Dragon had returned, along with its Goblin rider. He fired his Longbow into the combat, gripping the Dragon's neck with his legs, and stuck two arrows into Buttercup's back. She winced with pain, and one of the remaining Ogres took advantage, bringing its club down directly on her head. She lay sprawled across the deck, and in considerable pain.

Gravak reached for the Staff of Life that they had picked up in Vraath Keep; he'd been saving it for emergencies, but this was fast becoming such an occasion: they had been burning through healing potions, and he knew that both he and Arden were running low on spells: she looked as tired as he felt. He'd need to use one of the spells stored in the staff to get Buttercup back on her feet immediately, or this fight would quickly go against them.

Within seconds, she stood again, and sliced at the Ogre who'd befallen her. She cut a deep wound across its gut, and it clutched at the opening, struggling to keep its innards in. The Traitor stuck an arrow into its forehead to finish it, and quickly fired a second, then a third at the last one standing. This one too keeled over, the final arrow sticking out of its throat.

With the fall of the last Ogre, the Dragon made a swoop at them, bathing the area with acid once more. Everybody was hurt, but Gravak could feel in his own body, and tell from the others, that they had survived the worst of the attack due to the protective magic that they were using. He hadn't been that impressed with Jarmaath when they'd met, but in that moment, he hoped to see him again; if only to thank him for his suggestion. The Traitor had suffered more than most of them, and sagged against the wall where he'd tried to shelter. Gravak was not prepared to waste his limited remaining healing resources on him, but the more sympathetic part of him was still pleased to see him invigorated by drinking from his own stash of healing potions. He had been fighting well after all, and this wasn't over yet.

Taldir called out in gesture towards the Dragon, the Goblin rider slumping forward in his saddle. This bought a small cheer from those on the ground; the rider had been keeping up a pretty steady stream of arrows, and had been hurting them badly. A few seconds later, the Wizard shot webs at the Black Dragon, bringing it crashing to the floor.

Buttercup and Boshley sprinted straight in with swords poised to strike. The Traitor loosed shots, while Arden played her flute; the tune lifting and inspiring them all to fight beyond their usual capabilities. Gravak sprinted in to join his skeletons, and Taldir finally floated to the ground. Someone was missing.

"Where's Elantar?" he asked aloud.

O-O-O

The waterlogged building held a lot of history. She could tell that much, but little else… She was sure that Taldir would want to take a look at these writings once the fight was over through.

Elantar sprang down the stairs, seeking out other enemies. As soon as Eldarion had bought down the last two Ogres, she looked ahead of the current fight at what might be coming next: she couldn't have everyone being too focused on the fight with the Dragon to notice an ambush.

She turned left at the bottom of the staircase. This floor appeared to be empty too. She chanced a look out through a window, and saw the Dragon immobilised, its rider asleep. Taldir floated down with a grin to join the others, who were all setting about it with their various weapons. She didn't have to watch for long to realise that the Dragon had only had its wings disabled by Taldir's web spell: its head, tail and claws were all still swinging freely, and they might all yet be in trouble. She cursed under her breath; the fight hadn't quite gone the way that she'd predicted, and she'd unwittingly left them all in trouble.

Music reached her. She couldn't quite place the instrument… A Lute, perhaps? A suggestion seemed to fill her mind; that this was the most beautiful music she'd ever heard, and why not just stop and listen for a while?

"It isn't that good…" she whispered scornfully, and shook off the idea. She followed the sounds around the corner, and across the bottom of the staircase that she'd just descended. There was a section of this floor that she'd somehow missed before.

A female Hobgoblin sat easily, lounged back on a couch strumming a Mandolin. Its audience was a single creature; a huge Ettin stood before her, swaying both heads in time to the tune. The suggestion returned to her; but this time she accepted it. This music really _was_ beautiful.

"I'm glad you like it," said the voice in her head. "You should use violent force against anything that attempts to stop it."

She gleefully drew her swords.

O-O-O

Where was Elantar?

Nobody had seen her disappear, and really, in the confusion of combat, anything could have happened…

Arden had just lowered her flute in favour of her Rapier; the magic that she worked through her music was a powerful boon to everybody's fighting abilities, and she could tell that the benefits would be felt for a while yet. She looked for a way in to stab at vulnerable parts of the Dragon.

Elantar had been teaching her some sword skills. Her style was all about economy; causing as much damage with as few strikes as possible. Buttercup - and Boshley to a lesser extent - relied simply on strength to hurt things, but Elantar's approach was much more subtle. She whispered the mantra: "Timing… Precision… Finesse…" and made a quick jab under the Dragon's outstretched arm. It howled in agony, and rounded on her. She leapt backwards, rolling away from its snapping jaws, and remembered why she usually preferred to use her bow.

"Where's that music coming from?" she suddenly asked aloud. Nobody offered an answer. She traced the origin to just inside the building outside which they stood. There was a small, high window, its glass long since smashed out. She quickly pulled a discarded crate across, stepped up onto it and glanced through the opening. Elantar was there, pacing back and forth with her weapons drawn, quite obviously, in her expert opinion, enraptured by the music. She reached for her Wand of Silence, aimed carefully at the spot where Elantar stood, and let the spell go.

"You!" the Rogue mouthed silently at her.

O-O-O

Taldir could feel several spells active on the Dragon. His meat shield were all struggling to harm it, and were being seriously hurt in the process. Having taken a fairly decent read on the Dragon's defences, he dismissed his Cantrip and prepared to Dispel. Buttercup's next sword swing found much less resistance.

Elantar leapt from an upper floor in a rage, brandishing one of her swords toward Arden. Music followed her from the building, and she seemed to relax a little. Arden backed away slowly, her wand held lightly at her hip.

"She's enchanted!" the Bard called to him, using the Goblin tongue; the only language that she could speak which Elantar couldn't. "I hit the ground near her with Silence: I thought it'd free her, but she seemed to get angry…"  
"What are you saying? You should consider yourself fortunate!" Elantar bellowed at her, gesturing with her Shortsword. "Fall to your knees and thank Olidammara I can hear it still… Never do that again!" Arden looked across at him with a shrug. The amusement never ceased with this lot…

The Dragon growled, trying to get its head around for a breath attack. It exhaled acid, but couldn't get a good enough angle to hit anybody. The Goblin on its back awoke after a sword thrust from Boshley caused him pain. Eldarion quickly put three arrows into the side of his neck, and it slumped forwards again.

"Dragon!" Elantar exclaimed, sprinting forwards into the fight. She ducked a tail swipe and leapt onto its back, slipping a sword in between its scales, and into its spine, causing it to roar with incredible pain. Buttercup's sword swung into its open maw, cutting deeply and biting through its skull. Its neck and head thumped into the ground, and it lay still. Buttercup hoisted her sword back out of the wound, and sank to her knees to catch her breath.

"Guys!" Elantar said with excitement. "You should come hear this music…"


	17. Chapter 17

*** XVII ***

She was growing impatient with them all. They were far too concerned with healing themselves, and looking over the Goblin Dragon Rider's equipment.

"Far too small," Eldarion scathed, dismissing the Goblin's bow. He helped himself to as many arrows as he could fit in his quiver though, Arden taking all that were left.

"Will you hurry up? I don't want you to miss it!" she insisted. They were infuriating at times. Arden approached her with a cloak.

"Here; put this on," she insisted.  
"Why?" she asked confused. Arden was trying to distract her, she quickly realised, but it wouldn't work.

Elantar unfastened her own cloak, letting it drop to the floor, and put the new one on, trying to quickly dismiss Arden's attempt. She felt immediately a little more resilient somehow… She couldn't quite identify the feeling though. She looked down at it. It was quite nice actually…

"Is this wolf fur?" she asked. "No!" she quickly added, not allowing an answer to come. The music called slightly louder to her; Arden had almost succeeded in her distraction. "Follow me. Now!" She insisted. There was some rolling of eyes, but she didn't care. The music held her again, and she strolled purposefully back up the stairs, through the door and into the building to where she could hear it better.

She smiled, feeling contentment that she hadn't felt in… Well; ever, really. She began to descend the internal stairs again, and was suddenly engulfed in silence. She panicked.

"Where has it gone?" she asked, but no sound came. She looked back up the stairs and saw Arden.  
"It was you!" she screamed silently, and launched herself back up the stairs, pushing Boshley and Eldarion aside.

And it came back. She relaxed again. This was all quite tiring. She sat on the top step, determined to simply listen. The others passed her, going down to the floor below, but she didn't mind about them any more.

She was hauled to her feet, and turned around. Buttercup stared down on her from very close.

"What?" Elantar asked her.  
"Wait 'ere," she demanded. The arms of the Barbarian wrapped around her. At first it was comforting, but she soon realised that her grip was getting tighter. She heard weapons drawn from below.

She twisted out of Buttercup's grip, and turned to dodge another grab. Elantar sprinted away from the top of the stairs and came to a low wall. The floor was missing here, or had perhaps never been there at all, and was open to the floor below. She leapt down, and found herself behind the Hobgoblin Bard and the Ettin. She relaxed again, and took a seat.

O-O-O

"She got away," the Barbarian declared, gesturing back over her shoulder as she passed him, descending the stairs. Taldir followed her and Gravak down, with Arden just behind him. The Bard dismissed her _Silence_ effect as they moved into the area.

The Mandolin was being played with some skill; the Hobgoblin on the lower floor had enchanted an Ettin, which stood poised to guard it from incoming attacks. Elantar also moved to stand defensively beside her. This situation was becoming inconvenient…

Before any of his companions could close with the enemy, be covered the area in webs, restricting the movement of the Ettin, and bringing an end to the Bard's music. As his spell hit and then spread from the Hobgoblin, Elantar sprang sideways against the wall, and leapt clear of the webbed area. She raised her swords and sprinted directly at him.

O-O-O

Arden had never seen Taldir move so quickly. He shoved his way past Buttercup, and sprinted back up the stairs in panic, leaving the Barbarian momentarily confused.

Buttercup recovered her wits quickly enough to notice Elantar chasing him, and stood, arms-outstretched at the foot of the stairs, to block her path. The Rogue simply leapt over her, against the wall behind, and sprung up the stairs in pursuit. It wasn't enough to escape Buttercup's long reach though, and she grasped an ankle, bringing her down hard onto the stone steps with a painful sounding crack.

Elantar bellowed furiously, and wriggled to try to escape Buttercup's grasp.

O-O-O

Buttercup had her shoulders pinned firmly, but not her legs. Elantar kicked out at a knee with her right foot, and used the momentum to twist violently, slipping out from her grip. Buttercup stumbled sideways, and Elantar sprung back to her feet, sprinting up the stairs once more in search of the one who had ended the music.

She gained the upper floor; there was no sign of anybody.

O-O-O

Taldir breathed deeply, grateful for the wooden parapet that ran around the outside of the building. It was only a few feet below the top of the wall, and he crouched, just peering over the top until Elantar had emerged. He ducked again, and hoped that the rest could deal with the Bard before she found him.

O-O-O

Boshley reached the bottom of the stairs on Boaz's back; he'd taken a different route down to the others: most had taken the opposite staircase, but Eldarion had followed Elantar, jumping down the gap from above behind the enemy. The Ranger was beginning to cause serious harm to the Ettin, who swung its fists enraged, but could not break free of the webs that held it.

The Hobgoblin shook herself free of webs enough to begin playing her music again; Boshley thought this rather foolish, and reflected that she'd have been better off drawing a weapon instead as he ran her through with his lance. She collapsed limply onto it and fell silent.

He turned his attention to the Ettin, which Gravak and Buttercup had both got stuck into. With his help, and Eldarion's from behind it, it lasted only a few seconds more, Gravak caving in its skull after it dropped to its knees.

O-O-O

"Elantar!" Arden called.

With the death of the Hobgoblin Bard, she expected Elantar to be free of the enchantment. The Rogue descended the stairs in confusion.

"What happened?" she demanded. She received some angry glances in return.  
"What's the last thing you remember?" Arden asked.  
"You were all outside fighting the Dragon…" she began. "And there was some music in here, I think."  
"You were under a suggestion spell," Arden responded. "You might get the memories of the last few minutes back eventually… but you may not."  
"Magic?" Buttercup asked.  
"That's right…" Arden clarified.  
"Okay," Buttercup responded, and patted the Rogue on the head.

"Have you seen Taldir?" Eldarion asked Elantar.  
"He's not with you guys?" she countered. They found him less than a minute later, hiding on the walkway outside the building. He took some coaxing out, and needed guarantees from everyone that Elantar wouldn't be stabbing him.

"Look…" she explained, when they had all reassembled in the lower room. "I really don't remember any of the last few minutes; you must have just done something that she really didn't like…" She gestured to the Hobgoblin Bard, which Boshley had impaled on his lance. Taldir frowned, and began to look over the corpse to distract himself.

They'd all chipped in to buy him a monocle when they were in Brindol. Arden, at first, just found this visually amusing, but its magical properties were very useful at Taldir's disposal: he was able to use it to identify magic items. He was using it now, and found that Arden should probably wear the cloak that the Bard had been equipped with.

"Really?" she asked hopefully. He nodded. "Excellent!" Arden exclaimed. She'd already been admiring it; it was intricately made from several thousand brightly coloured feathers, providing a beautiful two-tone pink and purple shimmer. She'd already planned to claim it to compliment some of her favourite outfits.

"You look happy, Eldarion!" Boshley exclaimed. He did; they'd never really seen him smile this much.  
"Regiarix is dead," he beamed. There hadn't really been time to reflect on this this fact, which clearly meant a great deal to the Elves of Starsong Hill.  
"Does that mean they might help us get out of here?" Elantar asked.  
"Probably," Eldarion replied with a nod. "It'd take them about an hour to get here though, and we'd need to get a message to them somehow for that to be any use."  
"I can take care of that…" Taldir declared, and rummaged in his pockets for a scroll. "Put a message together, and we can send it to your mother."

They put the note together, explaining that Regiarix was dead, and Rhest mostly secured. They did still need to seek out whatever it was that belonged to the Ghostlord, which they'd rather do before the Elves arrived, and also find and destroy the Greenspawn Razorfiends that were being bred here. An hour should be plenty of time…

 **Author's Notes**

1) Eldarion (and Mike) was (were) back amongst us – he was tricky to write back into the story in a way that would meant he was accepted back into the adventuring group, but I think this was about the most convincing way we could manage.

John had decided to insert him back in at an inconvenient point, and Mike came back to play him for the session: he enjoyed it, and decided to stick around. Our characters were (mostly) going to take a lot of convincing to trust him again though…

2) The Artificer's Monocle (MIC p72, 1500g) should be a pretty essential purchase for any party as soon as they can afford it: while wearing it, anyone who can cast Detect Magic can spend a minute casting it to identify any magic item that they peruse.


	18. Chapter 18

*** XVIII ***

Elantar thoroughly searched the main surviving building in Rhest for anything that looked like it might belong to a lich, but turned up nothing. Taldir claimed that nothing the Dragon carried, nor its rider, nor the Bard could have been it either.

Eldarion stood at the top of the lowest staircase that they could reach; all floors below this one were submerged.  
"Regiarix was underwater when we arrived, wasn't he?" he asked aloud, receiving some murmurs of ascent. He dropped his backpack, and removed his cloak. "What is it you're looking for anyway?" he asked. Nobody had filled Eldarion in on the Ghostlord yet, and nobody was really sure if he could be trusted with the information.  
"Taldir will know it when he sees it, apparently," Elantar replied. The Wizard glared tight-lipped at her; he hadn't shared anything specific with any of them about what they sought.  
"A dark artefact…" Taldir finally said. "Probably something innocuous; quite small, and likely something that can be worn."  
"Which narrows it down nicely…" Arden quipped.  
"It's likely sealed in a lead box," he added. "This would make it more difficult to find using magic, and would be an ideal way to hide it from him."  
"You want to check underwater?" Elantar asked Eldarion. He nodded.  
"If I find it, you'll tell me what's going on?" he asked.  
"Fine…" Taldir answered.

Eldarion was a better swimmer than her, and could hold his breath for longer. They both carried sunrods to pierce the gloom, and Elantar eventually came across a small lead box on the floor below the others. It was too heavy for her alone, but with Eldarion's help, she dragged it up to the surface.

"I hope this was worth it…" Elantar gasped. Arden used a quick spell to dry them both instantly, which made the recovery a little more comfortable. Taldir levered open the box.  
"This is it…" he declared, and quickly closed the lid again. "That may have been enough to give away its location…"  
"Are you going to fill us in now?" Gravak asked.  
"You don't know either?" Eldarion asked.  
"I've kept it to myself until I could be surer," the Wizard responded.  
"I'm pretty certain," he began, taking to his feet again, "that this is a phylactery; an artefact containing a portion of The Ghostlord's soul."  
"What does it do?" Boshley asked.  
"It's a means of prolonging life indefinitely…" he replied, a definite hint of bitterness in his voice. "He'll never die as long as this pendant remains intact."  
"So… we should destroy it, surely?" Boshley asked.  
"It's certainly an evil thing…" Taldir answered. "But destroying this alone would not destroy Urikel Zarl; it would, in fact, make him bent on destroying _us_."  
"So, what do we do with it?" Arden asked.  
"Well… that's the question," Taldir replied.

"Sorry, but… can we go back several pages?" Eldarion demanded. "What is a Ghostlord? Who is Urikel Zarl?"  
"One and the same…" Taldir answered. He caught Eldarion up with the same history that he'd recounted to them back in Drellin's Ferry.  
"And you're convinced that The Red Hand were using this as leverage against him?" he clarified. "To what end?"  
"They were probably forcing him to provide support in the coming invasion," Arden responded. "Maybe he'll do the same for us if we return this to him?"  
"I wouldn't count on it…" Taldir replied. "He'll want this back, above all other things at the moment. But as soon as it's returned, he'll have no reason to do anything for anyone else."  
"Worth a try though, surely?" Arden asked. Taldir laughed openly at her, and turned away muttering to himself.

"How long before your people get here?" Gravak asked Eldarion.  
"If they left immediately? At least another half an hour or so…" he responded.  
"We should find these Greenspawn Razorfiends…" Gravak declared. "At least find out how many are here and where they are. If there are too many for us, the Elves can help when they arrive."  
"I spotted one earlier," Taldir claimed, "in a fenced-off section out the back of here."

They followed him back to the roof. Beyond a wooden walkway around the outside of the building sat a crudely constructed fence. A single Razorfiend was visible, but several dozen of what looked like large eggs could also be seen.

"We can take one of them," Gravak said confidently. "And then destroy the rest before they can hatch."

Elantar remained where she was, as did Eldarion and Taldir. The rest took up positions to enter the Razorfiend pen and deal with the beast head-on. The moment that Buttercup opened its gate, it sprang forwards, and knocked her aside. Elantar leapt from her vantage point and into the lake, hoping that there really was just one of the beasts. She crashed straight through the shell of a large egg, and destroyed the unborn monster inside. It was an altogether disgusting experience.

She resurfaced, and saw Buttercup cleave her sword into the adult beast's flank, as Eldarion peppered it with arrows from above. Boshley and Gravak helped to surround it, and the four of them killed it off together. Elantar continued to tread water, running her swords through as many eggs as she could. She was grateful for the two Owlbear Skeletons that strolled into the pen to take over.

They didn't have to wait much longer for the Tiri Kitor to arrive; half a dozen Elves on Giant Owls, plus another eight un-laden Owls to carry them all back to Starsong Hill. Killiar Arrowswift, who'd been amongst those who they'd originally met on the journey from Brindol greeted them enthusiastically. Elantar just wanted to get out of there.

O-O-O

The journey back to the Elven village was uncomfortable, but mercifully short. Gravak breathed a sigh of relief; Rhest had been a particularly hard-won victory, but it was clear they'd done a great thing from the reaction of Starsong Hill: the village was ready to celebrate like it hadn't in many years. The party were greeted adoringly by the locals; Arden made the most of this, and began to tell the tale of their adventures. Elantar tried to break free of the grasping arms, an incongruous wreath of flowers around her neck.

"That's him," he heard an Elf say, gesturing towards him. He might have looked familiar, but it was difficult to tell Elves apart.

"Gravak," the Cleric greeted him as he approached. He definitely recognised this one; it was Illian, who Mithranir had proclaimed the most powerful Cleric in Starsong Hill. "Follow me," he added gruffly. "We need to talk…" Curious more than anything else, he fell into step and followed Illian back to the same hut where they'd met two nights ago.

"Have a seat," Illian offered, and closed the door behind them. Two guards remained inside the hut, between him and the door. He quickly regretted coming alone. Having no other option, he sat, as far from the door as he could.  
"I have reliable reports," Illian began, "that you've been acting… irresponsibly."  
"Irresponsibly?" Gravak asked.  
"Quite…" he paused for a few seconds in silence, as if he expected Gravak to have some sort of idea what he was talking about.  
"Oh, bugger subtlety…" the Elf hissed. "I'm talking about Necromancy!"

Gravak sat impassive; he was convinced that he'd done nothing wrong, as he'd explained several times to others before. He know the perception of his magic though, and refused to react in anyway. He couldn't prove anything.  
"Don't just ignore this, Gravak…" he continued. "I have reliable information."

Gravak sat forward and drew himself up. He was almost twice the size of the Elf, and he was pleased to see that this had a visible effect.  
"Explain what you mean," he demanded, emotionlessly.  
"Very good!" the Cleric laughed. "You play this game well…"  
"I'm in no mood to be toyed with," Gravak responded. Illian waved this off, still chuckling softly.  
"You're not in any immediate trouble," he declared. "But I want to get a grasp of what you can do… and I want you to listen to me."  
"What do you mean by ' _immediate trouble_ '?" Gravak asked.  
"What you and your friends have done for us today… you're to be rewarded, not punished," he explained. "This is a conversation… one that I hope will end with you taking a far less casual approach to the power at your disposal. So… tell me what you can do," Illian demanded.  
"First of all…" Gravak began cautiously, "understand this. I have never hurt anybody innocent; physically, or with any magic, these new powers included."  
"And that's for you to decide, is it? Who's innocent?" he asked.  
"We're in a war," Gravak responded bluntly. "I am looking to win it."  
"That's what you wanted me to understand?" Illian asked. He nodded in response. "Fine; it's understood. Now, what can you do?"

Gravak paused for a few moments, and weighed his words carefully. He didn't see anything wrong in what he was doing, but had to admit that he didn't fully understand it. He also knew well of the illegality of his power. He quickly decided, for no other reason than it was easier, to simply tell the truth.

"I began by summoning skeletal beings to aid me in combat… other beasts had proved not to be tough enough to survive long, and I wanted to try other options," he began.  
"And the skeletons proved tougher?" Illian asked.  
"Yes," Gravak stated with a shrug. "They are far more durable while they survive, although still do not last for long."  
"And has this led you to exploring other options?" Illian pressed.  
"Yes…" Gravak answered cautiously.  
"By reanimating corpses that you find?" Illian asked. Gravak paused again, wondering quite where he had got all of this information.  
"That's right," he answered. "I have found these to be more durable still, and do not expire within a minute or so, but remain serving me indefinitely."  
"I see…" Illain postured, stroking his chin.

"Drink?" the Elf offered, and stood, making for some shelves behind him.  
"Thanks…" Gravak answered with surprise, and accepted the wine.

"How much do you understand about these beings?" Illian asked as he re-took his seat.  
"Very little," Gravak answered truthfully.  
"But you're aware that such activities are outlawed?" he countered. Gravak nodded slowly, and looked nervously back at the guards. Illian made no further response, but waited for a few seconds in silence.

"It seems to me," he eventually continued, "that you have little comprehension of _why_ necromancy is so frowned upon, and for that reason, and for the aid you have bought us, I am willing to show you leniency. I would, however, caution you against further exploration…" Gravak had heard this before from Taldir and had been unmoved. It was going to take a very persuasive argument from a stranger to make him change his practices.

"You are using, it appears, two distinct spells," Illian continued. "The one that temporarily summons skeletons to aid you calls them from another plain of existence and places them under your thrall. While such meddling in the natural order of things is not welcome in this world, it is not such a grievous offence as that which you commit with your other spell.

"The permanent reanimation of a dead being pulls its soul back to its corpse, and places it in un-imaginable torment… Its body will move and fight for you, or do anything that you instruct it, but the soul trapped within it is helpless to prevent or oppose any instructions is it given."

Illian fell silent and glared across the table at him. Gravak stared back, determined to betray nothing on his face. It had been fascinating to hear Illian's descriptions, but it had not deterred him from his path. He did, however, feel a slight empathy towards the Dire Wolf that had been sitting at the bottom of the Elsir River for about a week now.

"Now…" Illian continued, "I'm not going to ask you to promise anything; I fully recognise that I hold no authority over you. I would, however, urge you to consider this as a warning; you need to curtail this activity, for your own good, and for the good of those around you. I would not like to see you consumed by this power."  
"I am grateful for your concern, and your explanations," Gravak said cautiously, "but I would like to return to my companions."  
"Of course…" Illian replied. Gravak stood, nodded courteously and made for the door.

"One more thing," Illian interjected, standing as he spoke. "Others will be less understanding, and rumour does not easily fade. My advice to cease this behaviour holds, but the choice is with you… If you choose to continue, you will need to be extremely careful."  
"Understood," Gravak said simply, and was relieved to exit the hut.

O-O-O

He awoke with a start, a cold sweat coursing over him. Taldir scrambled from his bed and found the waste pot underneath it, just in time for it to contain his expulsion. He coughed out the last of the vomit, and clutched at his aching head.

He should have expected this sort of thing… But it may have been worth it. The decision to wear Zarl's phylactery overnight had bought the visitation he had hoped for, and his condition this morning was a reasonable trade-off. He needed to find the others.

O-O-O

"You look awful!" Arden quipped. "Too much wine last night?"

Taldir glared back at her with contempt. Elantar wasn't entirely surprised by his appearance though; he had finished most of two bottles of wine by himself. The Wizard reached their breakfast table, and threw a necklace onto it. A dull silvered chain held a heavy looking pendant, which took the form of a lion. There were a number of gasps around the table.

"Why is this not in its box?" Eldarion demanded.  
"Indeed!" Boshley echoed. "You're advertising our location to him?"  
"It was a gamble," Taldir admitted, "but it's paid off so far…"  
"In what way?" Gravak asked.  
"He has made contact…" Taldir stated. Several around the table eyed him cautiously, but some with outright hostility. "Allow me to explain…" the Wizard continued with a sigh.

"He knows that we have it, and that we are not the ones who stole it. He has offered safe passage should we return it."  
"And if we don't?" Boshley asked.  
"He offered threats too…" Taldir admitted.  
"Am I right in thinking he can only track us if this thing isn't in the box we found it in?" Elantar asked.  
"That's correct," Taldir answered. "Although we are now easier to find by more conventional means, should he have the ability or associations to do so."  
"So we still have a chance of hiding…" Arden observed.

"Well…" Boshley began, taking to his feet. "I'm all for heading down there and destroying him. Who's with me?" Nobody replied.

"I'd still advocate trying to turn him on The Red Hand…" Arden suggested, returning to an earlier idea. Elantar liked this too; The Ghostlord held legitimate grievance against a common enemy, and if he could be convinced to work with them, Elsir Vale would be saved far easier.

"I still consider that impossible," Taldir declared flatly. Arden rolled her eyes and folded her arms. She looked determined not to let the idea go. "Zarl, I am convinced, will have no interest in helping Elsir Vale. We can, however, attempt to break his alliance with The Red Hand, and tip the balance in this war."  
"You believe he can be trusted?" Gravak asked.  
"And that we'd make it out alive?" Eldarion added.  
"I have no idea…" Taldir admitted. "But it's a risk worth taking."

O-O-O

Gravak was first through the north gate of Brindol on their return. They had counted back shortly before entering the city, and made it twenty days since that first ambush outside of Drellin's Ferry. The coming war had hung over them like a shadow ever since, but the invasion itself was still yet to come.

The people of Brindol, numbers swelled by an influx of refugees from the west, wore nervous expressions. Nobody could shake the feeling that they were too few, and their enemy too many.

Gravak was also distracted by his conversation with Illian back in Starsong Hill. He had no intention of altering his path, rather it was the Elf's final warning that continued to ring in his ears. While those that stood with him seemed mostly indifferent to the moral questions involved, outsiders could be a threat to his freedom, and even his life. He would need to be careful, just as Illian had warned.

"You're quiet…" Elantar stated to him. She has just ridden forward to join him on his left.  
"I have little to say right now," he answered.  
"I empathise…" she added. They continued into the city for another minute or so before she spoke again.

"I take it that your conversation with Illian has you worried?" she suggested. How could she have known?  
"You were eavesdropping…" he realised. She grinned a rare smile. He was not in a smiling mood.  
"Don't take it as betrayal… it's quite the opposite," she declared.  
"How so?" Gravak asked.  
"You were carted off by that Cleric and a couple of guards…" she replied. "I wasn't going to just leave you to it."  
"You could have said…" he replied. It was good of her to watch his back, but he would have preferred to have been informed.

"You should find a way to disguise these creatures," she said after a short pause. Gravak had been considering this; he'd heard rumour of a spell that could achieve this effect. He couldn't run into trouble for creating a Dire Wolf skeleton if it simply looked like a Dire Wolf.  
"I believe that may be possible," he replied, dropping to a whisper as they reached a busier street, "but finding an artefact that could achieve it would be almost impossible without alerting the authorities."  
"Even in the confusion of war?" Elantar postured. She had a point… the town's guards would surely have bigger problems at the moment.  
"I'll speak with Taldir," Gravak decided. "He may know more about this magic, and if it's possible to obtain a wand or something…"  
"Ask Arden too," Elantar suggested.  
"Arden?" he asked, confused. "Why?"  
"You may need to make contact with unsavoury characters," she explained. "Arden would do that with more subtlety than either of us could manage." He wasn't so sure about this. Elantar and Taldir appeared to be supportive of his magic, but Arden was an unknown in this area. She certainly missed having Coralyn around, who'd been adamant that he was in the wrong.

O-O-O

"I've asked you here for advice, and perhaps a little help…" Gravak began. He'd called her, along with Elantar and Taldir, to his room, only telling them that he had something to discuss.

"How come it's just us three and not the others?" Arden asked.  
"I'd like to keep the circle as small as possible," Gravak explained.  
"Okay…" she replied, "So, what's on your mind?"  
"Elantar knows this already," he began to explain. It was typical that Gravak would have given her the information first… "And it was her idea to ask the two of you for further advice.

"Illian, the Cleric in Starsong Hill, spoke to me two nights ago," Gravak continued. "He found out that I had been using necromantic magic, and warned me off of it." Taldir raised his eyebrows at this, and looked as if he was thinking the same thing that she was: Gravak should probably heed this advice…

"I believe that he meant well… but he doesn't fully understand what we've been through so far, nor the battles we're yet to face. The Red Hand still approaches, even as we speak; countless enemies and monsters who will slay all before them. Turning some of those fallen enemies back against them is an opportunity to fight back that I'm not willing to relinquish." So… he had no intention of following the good advice he'd had then. Arden couldn't help wondering where he was going with all of this though…

"I do not take this power lightly," he continued, turning to look at Taldir as he said this, "but I know that I have little chance retaking my home without nurturing it, and, as I've said, it could help us to win this war."  
"I would have preferred you to heed Illian's advice, if not my own similar words," Taldir replied. She hadn't realised that Taldir had stood in opposition to what he was doing, neither had Elantar, judging by the look of surprise on her face.  
"I understand that continuing to work this magic is a choice that puts me in danger," Gravak replied. "But it is _my_ choice... I have no intention of putting any of you in danger, and will help you to deny all knowledge of what I do should it come to that."

"I don't really see how that's possible," Arden said in response to this. "We've been fighting alongside you – and benefitting greatly from that, I might add – for weeks now. I lied to the Elves for you about the Ogre skeleton, but there's only so far denial can go. If we're seen fighting alongside undead creatures, how are we going to talk our way out of that?"  
"By not being seen fighting alongside undead," Gravak stated.  
"Well… that's my point!" Arden replied.  
"Taldir…" he continued regardless, turning to the Wizard. "Do you know of a spell that would disguise an undead creature as a living one of similar size and shape?" Taldir looked as if he was going to give a negative answer, but then seemed to change his mind. He was either reluctant to lie, or reluctant to admit a gap in his knowledge.  
"I do…" he finally answered.  
"And is this spell one you're capable of casting?" Gravak asked.  
"I could… if I had access to it," he answered. Arden willed him to be silent and go back to convincing Gravak to change his ways. She preferred that Taldir. She liked Gravak, but wasn't all that bothered about his soul, or whatever it was that Coralyn had been preaching about… She was concerned at association with a Necromancer though. Instead of backing her up, Taldir continued to fuel the Orc's descent into evil, maybe putting them all in more danger.  
"The spell would need to be contained in an item," Taldir explained.  
"A wand?" Elantar asked.  
"Most likely," he answered.  
"And how do you plan on getting one of those?" Arden demanded. "I don't think you'll be able to wander into Bob's Magical Artefacts down the road and buy one over the counter!"  
"That's where you come in," Elantar said with a smirk.  
"Oh, really?!" Arden responded.  
"I have no intention of forcing you to help, Arden," Gravak added.  
"How gracious of you…" she replied.  
"We will likely need to deal with people who hold questionable morals, and you are far better at that than any of us… I want to make it clear that I expect nothing more than you're willing to give though." He was right… but she was very unlikely to get involved in this; the personal risk was far too high.

"What makes you think you'll find such an artefact in this City?" Taldir asked.  
"The proximity of the Ghostlord…" he began. "There must be others who've followed in his footsteps and own such an item. Or could make it, for a cost."  
"I don't think cost should be an issue…" Elantar suggested.  
"How so?" Arden asked.  
"If someone has a wand with this spell in available, they're going to keep it secret," she replied. "I mean, no one's going to report it stolen…"  
"True…" Gravak answered. "The owner could not seek aid from the City if it went missing, but I'm not asking you to put yourself at that much risk." Elantar waved this off dismissively. And foolishly. Arden decided that it was time to take charge, and leapt to her feet.

"Right," she began, pointing directly at Elantar. "You're not committing any burglary," she declared flatly, and turned on Taldir, "you're not telling Gravak any more about this magic."  
"But…" the Wizard began.  
"No!" she interrupted, and got the silence that she wanted. "And you," she said, rounding on Gravak. She wasn't quite sure what to say for a few seconds. "Look…" she eventually continued. "I quite like the idea; your skeletons have been beneficial, but there's no way we can be seen with them. Disguising them could work… But you'll have to do it without my help."  
"I understand…" Gravak responded reluctantly.

"I just can't risk it," she underlined. "But if you want to speak to someone in the black market, try showing your face in The Howling Bear; the quieter and mostly overlooked taverns are usually the best place to start." He nodded his thanks.

"Be careful… all of you," Arden said, as she turned to leave.


	19. Chapter 19

*** XIX ***

A messenger reached them at breakfast the next morning.  
"Jaarmath demands our immediate presence," Arden read out. "Best we jump to it…"

They finished up breakfast and began to make their way across town; they'd need ten minutes or so to reach Jarmaath. As they passed The Howling Bear, Arden's curiosity was piqued.  
"Well?" she asked Gravak in hushed tones, "How did you get on?"  
"Unsuccessful," he responded in a whisper.  
"Very few people would talk to either of us," Elantar added, "and nobody was willing to share any information." This wasn't entirely a surprise to her; she hoped they had been careful though.

Despite Jarmaath's demands for immediate attendance, he left them waiting for around twenty minutes once they were inside his fort. When he finally greeted them, she was pleased to see some enthusiasm on his part.  
"Greetings friends!" he bellowed, with arms outstretched. "I hear great words of your deeds, and look forward to hearing about Regiarix's demise at length in the near future. For now; please sit."

They each pulled up a chair at his table, and prepared to listen to what he had to say. He was delayed for a couple more minutes by further messages and other interruptions, but eventually sat with them.

"Now," he began, "I can't begin to tell you how grateful Elsir Vale is to you; we owe you a great debt already…" He paused as yet another messenger reached him. This time, the news pleased him greatly.

"And now our debt grows even more!" he passed Arden the note that he had just received. Sellyria Starsinger had pledged the support of Starsong Hill. She, along with Killiar Arrowswift and seventy five other Tiri Kitor on their Giant Owls would arrive in Brindol in two days' time. Arden had suggested this to the village's leaders before they left, but hadn't expected much to come of it; but Sellyria had named them specifically in helping her to decide.

"This is of great benefit," Jarmaath continued, after sharing the news with the rest of the room. "We are in desperate need of aid, and air support such as this will be a huge boost to the defence. I thank you again."

"What other aid are you expecting?" Gravak asked.  
"Fighters from every town in Elsir Vale," he answered, "and The Lions of Brindol, who will out-match any of the enemy's foot soldiers."  
"How about the Dwarves of Hammerfist Hold?" Elantar asked.

"Yes… them too," he answered. "Although they've driven a hard bargain. We've hired a mercenary company, and payment departed southward yesterday. The Shining Axes should be here within a week."

"This all sounds quite promising…" Arden ventured.  
"I'm making no assumptions…" Jarmaath stated. "We still have no definitive news on the enemy we're facing, although I'm awaiting the final refugees from Drellin's Ferry, who should have news on that front."  
"When do you expect them?" Arden asked, wondering if she'd see Coralyn and Taran again.  
"Elric's last estimate was the day after tomorrow," the Mayor answered. "Now; to your plans…"

"We…" Arden began. The Ghostlord could be a difficult subject to bring up, not least because most of Brindol only knew him as a myth. "We have business in the south…"  
"You're not staying to fight off the invasion?" Jarmaath asked with disappointment.  
"We'll be back by then…" Elantar replied.  
"Quite…" Taldir added. "If The Red Hand have experienced no delays," he continued, unfurling Koth's map, "they won't be here for eleven days yet. And they _will_ experience delays."  
"Fine…" Jarmaath conceded. "What business do you have in the south?" he asked.

"Well," Arden began, "we were planning on swinging by Hammerfist Hold to recruit allies from there."  
"But we've dealt with them already," Jarmaath stated, "so there's no need for you to leave any more, surely?"  
"If you'll just let me finish," Arden smiled. But she had no idea what deceit to spin to justify their journey into the Thornwaste.

"We're going to negotiate with The Ghostlord," Taldir stated, and looked to enjoy the reactions around the room. One of the guards forgot himself for a moment, and burst into laughter.  
"Urikel Zarl?" Jarmaath asked. "Assuming he even exists… or is still there if he ever did… what makes you think that this would be anything less than total folly?"  
"You said you wanted allies…" Arden responded. Maybe some of the truth would be alright…  
"I will not ally myself with such filth!" Jarmaath bellowed. "And… why is it that you even think he's real?"  
"I've spoken with him," Taldir answered, sounding completely insane to the guards. The one who had laughed was grinning at him, and whispering sidelong to his partner.  
"We are not going to attempt to forge an alliance," Taldir continued, ignoring the sounds from behind him, "but to end one. The Red Hand stole something from him, and were using it as leverage to have him join them in the invasion. We will deliver it back, and break the hold that they have over Zarl."  
"This sounds very risky…" Jarmaath replied.  
"We're committed to doing this," Gravak added. "We can remove a powerful enemy; and that's worth the risk."

"Well… I can't force you to stay," the Mayor responded. "How long will you be gone?"  
"We expect to spend eight days getting there and back," Taldir answered. "Arden managed to find a map of the area in a store yesterday afternoon which showed the location of the stone lion; we shouldn't have trouble finding it."

O-O-O

They wasted little time that morning, and were soon heading south. Outside of Jarmaath and his immediate men, they hadn't told anyone of their destination, so kept up some pretence of heading to the Dwarven settlement in the Wyvernwatch Mountains. This gave the added benefit of carrying them away from the expected advance of The Red Hand, who were already reported to be breaking into the Vale in smaller groups: the more enemy patrols they could avoid, the more chance they had of making it back before the invasion reached Brindol.

Boshley sat upon a new cart that Gravak had purchased, with Boaz beside him. He was grateful for these better roads south of Brindol than north of it. Having tested options, they had worked out that they could cover more ground in a day with Boshley and his Badger companion riding the cart than with them on foot: Boaz could simply not keep up with the horses over long distances.

They continued to pass refugees heading north, to the relative safety of Brindol's walls. The city was already feeling over-crowded, but hundreds more would be seeking shelter there: the likely scene of the invasion's final battle was going to need a lot of protecting to shield the innocents who flocked there.

Being proud of his heritage, and his fellow Gnomes, Boshley wanted desperately to send for the aid of Garfen. But his home lay too far away. It would take a battalion of Gnomish warriors at least two weeks to reach Brindol from far to the south east, on the far side of the Golden Plains; they were disappointingly out of reach. The Humans of Elsir Vale, the Elves from Eldarion's home, and the Dwarves that they'd be visiting the night after next were going to be all the help that was coming.

They had passed through four deserted villages on the journey south. A few hours into the journey, they came to the larger town of Prosser, which was still in the throes of evacuation. A number of Clerics, all displaying insignia showing allegiance to Pelor, were helping sick and wounded townsfolk into wagons for the journey north.  
"Can you help us?" one of them called out to him as they passed. Buttercup immediately dismounted, and asked what she could do. Boshley and Boaz both joined her. Arden, Gravak and Eldarion followed soon afterwards, while Elantar and Taldir looked impatiently at the height of the sun.  
"Come on!" Boshley called to them. "Lend a hand, would you?" They reluctantly obeyed, and were soon mucking in with everyone else.

They had been carrying supplies and those unable to walk into wagons for about ten minutes, when they were suddenly covered by a shadow. Boshley looked to the sky, expecting to see thick cloud growing overhead. But it wasn't cloud.  
"Roc!" Eldarion called, and immediately armed his bow. The others all dropped what they were carrying and drew weapons too, while the civilians scattered, taking shelter in their emptying buildings.

Eldarion loosed shots as Arden began to play her flute, the rest waiting for the giant bird to reach the ground. Buttercup leapt onto one of the carts, making a target of herself and readying her sword to swing at the Roc as soon as it was within reach. It dived at her. The Roc's descent was suddenly halted as its wings became pinned to its side; Taldir had unleashed webs at it, taking away its ability to fly.

The Roc fell, heading straight for Buttercup. In a mocking twist of fortune, this was one of the carts that held several injured people, who looked up at it helplessly and began to panic. Boshley reacted quickest: dropping his lance and spurring Boaz forward, sprinting at the endangered wagon. The Gnome reached across and grasped at a handle, Boaz' momentum and strength pulling it forwards… almost out of harm's way.

The Roc obliterated the rear half of the cart with its impact, but Boshley could see at least four of the civilians still moving, trying to crawl clear of the wreckage. Buttercup joined Eldarion, Gravak and Elantar in attacking the fallen bird, ending it as quickly as they could, while Boshley dismounted and tried to help the injured townsfolk.

Among the locals thanking them for their help, one stood out; a young woman, who would definitely have been rather attractive to someone who regarded humans in such ways. Eldarion for one looked as if he might agree. She wore deep red robes, and carried her right arm in a sling.  
"Thank you all for fighting so bravely!" she greeted them.  
"Not a problem," Eldarion replied nonchalantly. Boshley was far more interested in helping the injured out of the destroyed cart. He was dismayed to find that two did not survive the attack, but encouraged that his actions had saved the lives of six others. Buttercup was helping out some of the Clerics, and was asking about the symbol they wore.

"My name's Mihai," the woman said, introducing herself to them. "Where are you all heading?"  
"It's a bit of a long story…" Arden responded with a smile.  
"I have time," she smiled back. Arden made to make herself look busy, but was called back. "I understand you may not have time to tell it all… but is there any way I can be of more help?"  
"Could you give us a hand to get these injured people moving?" Gravak asked. She raised her right arm slightly in its sling in response and frowned.  
"Could nobody heal you?" Elantar asked, gesturing at the gathered priests.  
"They're all out of juice for the day," she responded. "I'm beginning to feel like I focussed my skills in the wrong area!" she added with a chuckle. She was warm, and friendly; everyone began to feel a little more at ease around her.  
"Here," Boshley offered, and held out a healing potion.  
"Thank you!" she exclaimed gratefully, and quickly sunk the potion. "That was all I needed… shan't be needing this anymore!" she added, discarding her sling, and giving her arm a few test swings.

"I've been looking for patches of resistance," Mihai said. "How much do you know about the war?"  
"Enough to know that we're all in for a rocky ride…" Eldarion answered.  
"It sounds like Brindol's going to be where we stage our defence," she added.  
"We heard that too," Arden replied.  
"But you're heading in the opposite direction?" she asked.  
"We have other things to attend to first," Arden responded. "We'll be back before the battle."  
"Good to hear!" she responded. "Like I said, I've been doing what I can so far, but it's tricky for one person…"  
"Is that how you broke your arm?" Gravak asked. "Fighting The Red Hand?"  
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "No… that was something else," she said with a chuckle. "I had some trouble with a couple of men in the tavern here last night," she explained. "They thought I looked easy pickings, but they sort of tried the wrong girl." Arden beamed at her, and some of the others smiled too.  
"They still broke your arm though?" Boshley asked.  
"Yes… we tangled for a bit, but they came off worse," she explained. "That giant Orc girl loaded one of them into a cart just before the huge bird attacked."  
"Buttercup?" Arden asked. "She's a good friend of ours." Mihai nodded and smiled in response.

"What are the rest of your names?" she asked. They all introduced themselves, and Arden asked her some more questions: it turned out that she was an apprentice Sorceress from Terrelton, who'd been making a fighting retreat eastwards. Taldir seemed a bit angry to learn that she was a Sorceress, but declined to provide any explanation.

"And what about all of you?" she asked. "How have you been faring in this war?"  
"We've been pretty involved so far," Arden responded, preparing to talk them all up in that way that she did. "We were ambushed by Hobgoblins just outside Drellin's Ferry a few weeks ago, managed to get some information about the invasion from a prisoner…" Mihai began to grin, with a sparkle in her eyes. "Headed north to clear out Vraath Keep, which the enemy had taken as a stronghold," Arden continued. "Then further north to Skull Gorge, where we destroyed another garrison and a Dragon, before bringing the bridge there down…" Mihai continued to smile along, and was nodding at each new piece of information. "After that, back to Drellin's Ferry where we bought more news of the invasion; how many to expect, and where and when they'd attack," Arden carried on. She was reeling off all of their accomplishments of the past couple of weeks fairly casually; Mihai was awestruck. "We convinced Drellin's Ferry to fall back to Brindol, and carried the news all the way there… Then we went north again, to Rhest, to kill another Dragon and empty another enemy stronghold… and now; we're heading south to firm up an alliance with the Dwarves."

"Wow!" Mihai exclaimed. "You're _those_ guys? I can believe I'm actually meeting you! You've been so inspiring to everyone…" A crowd had begun to gather, and were in agreement about this. "Actually…" she blushed, "I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but you're all the reason I decided to fight in the first place. My father insisted that I wasn't ready yet, but I wanted to follow your example! Everyone in Terrelton holds you in the highest regard: you're welcome there anytime if we survive this invasion!"

"Well, thank you for your kind words Mihai!" Boshley offered.  
"Quite…" Elantar offered. "Can we go now? We wanted to be in Dauth by sunset, and we're starting to run short on time."  
"She's right…" Taldir echoed. "Mihai, why don't you come with us?" Boshley was surprised to hear Taldir offer this, but was pleased when she agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

*** XX ***

Keen to find out more about how Sorcery worked, Taldir was pleased to have found a practitioner to observe first-hand.

His studies for over a century in Taur'ondoril had taught him that Wizardry was by far the most suitable and superior way to wield magic; the discipline required to nurture and grow a Wizard's talents bought the correct amount of respect for magic; being granted innate abilities to throw around at will bought a lazy and frivolous approach that he had little time for.

But he was young, and had not been wandering the world for very long. He'd never had the chance to see Sorcery at work, up close. That's why he'd suggested Mihai came with them, and was keen to see the extent of her abilities. She didn't have a horse, but he wanted to keep her close and under constant scrutiny; she shared his own mount to this end.

Several hours passed with the girl in excited conversation, mostly with Arden and Boshley, although Buttercup was warm towards her as well, even if the savage didn't understand most of what was said. Mihai was awed by them all, and Arden fed this, inflating their reputations further. If the Bard wasn't careful, she'd be making a target of them all; she had seriously overstated their effectiveness, and had bordered on suggesting that Elsir Vale would be lost without them. Given his proximity to Mihai, he was forced to listen to most of this idle chatter, only occasionally joining in where he needed to correct salient facts.

Eldarion whistled gently; an agreed signal to halt and keep silent. Elantar moved across the road to join him; they had been moving ahead of the rest of them, one north, and one south of the road. She glanced through Koth's spyglass, before handing it to the Ranger and returning to share the news.

"Enemy ahead," she whispered. "They're grouped together with their backs to us at the moment; if we move quickly, we can take them by surprise."  
"'ow many?" Buttercup asked.  
"Six Goblins, and three Dire Wolves," she replied. "They're trying to force open a strongbox… It looks like some soldiers of Brindol died defending it…"  
"The payment?" Gravak suggested.  
"What do you mean?" Mihai questioned. "What payment?"  
"Brindol's hiring a mercenary Dwarf company," Arden explained. "If they've intercepted the payment…"  
"We'll be short a powerful ally!" Boshley snapped.

Taldir kicked his horse forwards, Ondolinde taking flight go get an over-head view of the scene. The rest followed him forwards, and about half of the Goblins looked up at the beat of hooves. He chanted a _Deep Slumber_ spell, and was disappointed when only two of the Goblins dropped unconscious.

Boshley and Buttercup split in different directions, right and left respectively, as the remaining four Goblins began to mount their wolves. Arden began to play her flute, casting an emboldening spell upon them all as she followed Buttercup, while Elantar rode off behind Boshley, taking a slightly wider path behind a large Oak. Eldarion dismounted where he was, sticking a handful of arrows into the ground at his feet, while Gravak cast a summon spell; two of his Owlbear Skeletons appearing just ahead of Boshley.

The Direwolf carrying two Goblins charged at Buttercup; the front rider with a lance lowered while the second fired a shortbow over its shoulder. The Barbarian's horse was struck by an arrow, and Buttercup herself took the full force of a lance strike, throwing her to the floor. She immediately sprung to her feet bellowing in rage, and swung at the wolf's flank as it passed her, cutting a wound into its hind-quarters.

O-O-O

Elantar leapt from Stranger, letting the horse retreat towards Taldir and Eldarion. She grasped a low-hanging branch on the Oak tree, just ahead of Boshley's advance, and swung up into a higher position.

A Dire Wolf smashed through one of Gravak's Skeletons, its Goblin rider lowering a lance which Boshley turned aside with his shield. As his Badger and the Goblin's mount began to wrestle one another, Elantar leapt from her position, and pierced the Goblin through the back of its neck, yanking it to the ground. She levered the corpse off of her blade and turned to check on her companions.

Eldarion had an arrow poised, but was, for some reason not firing. That wasn't what concerned her though. He was aiming at Gravak.

O-O-O

"That's right…" he whispered to himself, in agreement with the voice in his head. "Filthy Orc doesn't trust me… doesn't value my skill… he never has!" Something held his fingers firm though; he couldn't let go of his string.

Eldarion lowered his bow, and found himself turning to look back towards Taldir, a fog lifting from his mind. Mihai had a dagger at the Wizard's throat, and her other hand covering his mouth. Elantar sprinted past him in Taldir's direction screaming, while Gravak also retreated towards the commotion.

Taldir suddenly vanished, reappearing on foot just behind the confused Mihai, who still sat on his horse. He gestured towards her, and she collapsed in fits of laughter, falling to the ground.

O-O-O

Her left arm hurt. Really hurt. The Goblin had hit her hard with its lance, and was coming back for another go.

"Let me help!" Arden called as she caught up. She placed a hand on her shoulder and sang gently for a couple of seconds. That was much better. Arden had put herself in danger though.

Buttercup reached for her, and pulled her sideways. They both fell and rolled away from the charging Goblin knight, who yelped in frustration.

"Wos goin' on dere?" Buttercup asked. The pretty girl that they'd met in that town was rolling around on the floor laughing, and everyone except the two of them and Boshley were sprinting towards her. This made no sense.

O-O-O

"Snake!" Gravak bellowed as he approached, readying his mace to strike at it. A Viper leapt from Mihai's robes straight for Elantar's throat. The Rogue nimbly caught it by the tail, swung it onto the floor, and punched a dagger through its head. The Cleric looked almost disappointed.

"She's a spy…" Taldir had decided, pointing towards the Sorceress. It had been extremely foolish to trust a stranger, given their situation, but the girl had been very convincing: not even Arden had shown any disbelief toward her.

"What happened?" Gravak asked.  
"She tried a mind control spell," Taldir explained. "I couldn't tell who her target was, but she was too far away for it to be one of the enemy."  
"It was me…" Eldarion responded. "She tried to make me shoot Gravak," he explained, with a nod to the Cleric. That would certainly have never gone down well.

"I'll restrain her," Gravak offered, and placed his manacles on her wrist.

O-O-O

He cut down the Dire Wolf, and turned his attention back to the centre of the battlefield. Buttercup and Arden were stranded, with two Dire Wolves, Goblins mounted on their backs, circling them. Everybody else was crowded to the rear, distracted by something.

"Boshley to the rescue!" he called, lowered his lance, and charged.

O-O-O

Buttercup swung her greatsword in a vicious arc, causing the incoming Dire Wolf to dodge sideways, and the Goblin mounted on its back to miss its lance strike. The second wolf closed from the opposite side, one of the Goblins firing a shot at Buttercup, while the other lowered its lance at her.

Arden skipped sideways towards Buttercup, and rolled away from the incoming charge. She sprung back up, and stuck the flank of the Wolf with her Rapier, but it didn't seem all that concerned.

Boshley came out of nowhere, Boaz crashing into the enemy while the Gnome's lance impaled the mounted archer. He twisted his lance sideways, discarding the dead Goblin. But Boshley was distracted, and the second wolf closed with him from the other direction, and he was exposed to the Goblin's lance, which was about to impact with his head.

The blow, however, never fell. Eldarion put two arrows into the Goblin's throat, and Boshley, instead of receiving a fatal lance strike, was merely surprised as the now rider-less Dire Wolf crashed into Boaz.

Arden drew her bow and began to fire, adding her shots to Eldarion's. Taldir obliterated a Dire Wolf with a Lightning Bolt, which smashed apart the final Goblin knight and Gravak's remaining Owlbear Skeleton too. Boaz, with some help from Eldarion's arrows killed the final wolf.

O-O-O

While he hadn't managed to find what he really wanted in Brindol, Gravak had picked up a wand that contained healing magic which he now put it into effect. While Arden's spells healed her allies quicker, the magic contained in this wand took longer to work, so was better suited to safer situations, where nobody was in any immediate danger. It looked as if this was going to be a useful back up for the aftermath of difficult combats.

Mihai shook off Taldir's spell effect and began to chant menacingly. Elantar interrupted her spell, cracking a boot into her jaw, and swiftly cut a piece of the Sorceress' robe away to use as a gag. Very soon, she was unable to speak, to add to her immobility. Brief attempts to question Mihai proved fruitless, with even Arden's Charm spell having no effect. They decided to take her to Hammerfist Hold, where she could be more effectively questioned and kept prisoner.

"They didn't manage to get this chest open," Boshley observed.  
"A job for you Elantar?" Arden asked.  
"It doesn't happen often," she answered, "but there'd be a risk of damaging the lock. If one of those guards has a key, that'd be safer: I wouldn't want the payment to look tampered with when we get it to the Dwarves."

Three human men lay butchered, along with their horses and an overturned wagon, in the area that they'd first spotted the enemy. They were wearing the blue and gold livery of Brindol, and were almost certainly those who Jarmaath had sent to complete the transaction with the Dwarf mercenaries. The Goblins wore Red Hand insignia on their armour, but also wore another emblem that none of them had come across before: a red eye on a yellow background, with a red jagged line running across it.

Elantar found a key chained around one of the men's wrists, and when the chain proved too short to reach the locked chest, she drew a dagger to begin removing the offending hand.  
"Hey!" Boshley called, stopping her before she began to cut.  
"What?" she replied. Everybody glared down at her. "He won't miss it…" she insisted, but realising that nobody agreed with her approach, suggested that the chest was moved closer instead.

"Well…" Eldarion gasped as it was opened. "This certainly looks enough to me…" Taldir snapped up a scroll that lay on top of the huge pile of coins, gems and jewellery that sat inside.  
"A letter from Jarmaath…" the Wizard confirmed, before rolling the scroll back up, and resealing the wax with a whisper. "We need to take this onward."

"Looks like we have space on our cart," Gravak said, and motioned for Elantar to re-lock the case. "Buttercup; could you get the other end?" he asked.  
"Yeah…" she replied, and moved to the opposite end of the chest. She easily lifted her end, and after a couple of awkward steps, took Gravak's end too, and strode effortlessly back to the cart alone, loading it onto the back.

As they re-gathered their horses, Gravak noticed something that he'd been hoping for.  
"We have space for one of these Dire Wolf corpses," he stated. "If Boshley rides Boaz, that is…"  
"You want to reanimate one?" Eldarion asked. Gravak was still reluctant about having Eldarion around, but answered him with a curt nod regardless.  
"Why not just do it here so that it can move under its own steam?" the Ranger pressed.  
"We can't go wandering into a settlement with a skeleton wolf, stupid…" Arden explained.  
"Waiting until after the Dwarf city would be best," Gravak added. "The Thornwastes will be uninhabited."

Gravak, not convinced that Taldir would be able to keep effective watch on her, now took Mihai on his own horse. She soon gave up any attempts to escape, with any movement that she made being crushed out of her.

Dauth turned out to be another ghost town, its citizens already departed for Brindol. It was strange that nobody at all remained, but Elantar and Eldarion made a quick search of the whole town and found nothing.

They chose the largest house that they could find to stop in for the night. It was very comfortable, and plushly decorated, although it lacked in anything that might have been useful, like food. The house did have the additional benefit of sitting atop a hill, and gave a good view of the outskirts of the town.

Mihai was given a pack of trail rations to eat, and did so silently under the threat of violence, which Elantar was only too happy to provide. Taldir then re-applied the gag to her, and they placed her in a small room with a lockable door for the night.

"Are we sure that there's nowhere without a window?" Eldarion asked. Elantar looked back at him quizzically.  
"Didn't you see how small it was?" she asked. "It isn't a Halfling in there," she continued, "she won't fit through that gap…"

* * *

"What do you mean she escaped?!" Taldir demanded.  
"Just that…" Eldarion replied. "I just went in to wake her, but she was gone."  
"When did you last see her?" Arden asked.  
"When we locked her in last night," he shrugged.  
"So it could have been at any time in the last eight hours?" Taldir underlined.  
"Go and wake Elantar…" Gravak said aside to Eldarion.

Neither of them had thought to check on her all night, and had trusted the room and the restrictions on her movement and speech to contain her.

"This lock hasn't been picked…" Elantar declared after an inspection.  
"It was the window…" Eldarion fumed, swinging it open.  
"It's tiny!" Elantar snapped. "I couldn't even fit through there… Boshley couldn't fit through there! And she was manacled… These haven't been tampered with either." She held them out; they remained locked as firmly as they had been the previous evening.

They all gathered outside to inspect the lawn on the other side of the window.  
"Could she have used some sort of spell to shrink herself?" Elantar asked.  
"Such spells exist…" Taldir replied. "But a magic user who could cast it without speech or hand movement? She'd have been far more powerful than us… We would never have captured her, especially if she was working with the Goblins that we fought as well."  
"Oh…" Arden began. "You think she was working with the Red Hand?"  
"Very likely…" Gravak replied.  
"The things we told her…" Arden said. "She knows about the Dwarf mercenaries… about Rhest! They'll figure out that we've got this Phylacta-thingy!"

"Tracks here!" Eldarion called, abruptly changing the subject.  
"Hers?" Elantar asked.  
"No…" he answered. "But they're the only ones here within the past few hours," he added.  
"How can you be sure they're not her tracks?" Gravak asked.  
"They're sort of… insectoid," he explained.  
"She's a shape-shifter then…" Boshley said confidently. "Think about it!" he added. "The manacles… fitting through that window… disappearing without leaving any other tracks. She must be!"

"I think he's right…" Elantar agreed. "It's the only thing that makes sense to me."  
"Let's follow 'em," Buttercup suggested. Elantar and Eldarion looked at one another, then back to Buttercup. All three nodded, and they were gone.

It was two hours before they returned, empty handed, but not without news.  
"We tracked her back to a Red Hand encampment…" Eldarion claimed. "About three dozen Hobgoblins and a handful of Ogres, roughly five miles north of here."

Everybody's faces sunk.


	21. Chapter 21

*** XXI ***

An uneasy silence fell over the party for that day's journey to Hammerfist Hold. They had been caught out by a very capable spy, and were embarrassed by the fact: they could only hope that the information that they'd handed over wouldn't be too damaging to the defence of Elsir Vale.

Guards greeted them cautiously at the northern gate of the Dwarf city; the Dwarfs were expecting a party from Brindol, but Taldir and his companions were not what had been described to them.

"Jarmaath's Men were ambushed," Boshley reported sadly. "We got there just too late."  
"That would be ill news…" the nearest of two guards replied. "But we have no way of knowing that you're not Red Hand agents attempting to bluff your way in." Taldir wouldn't have sympathised with this line of thinking, until that morning.  
"We've been fighting the Red Hand for a few weeks now," Arden said, joining the debate. "Jarmaath himself will vouch for us, as would many others. But I don't believe that we have the time to get a message there and back again." The two Dwarfs grumbled to each other in their own language for a few moments. "And surely, all the Red Hand would need to do to stop you joining us would be to intercept the payment: why would they go to the effort?" They continued to talk among themselves for a few more seconds until and the first turned back to them and nodded.  
"Wait here," he stated simply, and vanished into the hallway behind him.

"What's on the cart?" the second guard asked, and approached. Nobody dared stopping him from pulling back the sheet to reveal its load. "How long has this been dead?" he asked, sniffing at the air around Gravak's dire wolf corpse.  
"Since yesterday afternoon," the Cleric replied.  
"Why do you have it?" the Dwarf asked, sounding almost amused. Gravak paused for a few seconds before replying.  
"A trophy…" he finally tried. The Dwarf looked on sceptically, and with a great deal of confusion evident across its face.  
"Orcs… you know?" Arden asked rhetorically with a shrug, seeming to convey far more with the gesture than her three words. It seemed enough for the guard, who let the matter drop.

Taldir peered into the gloom, and appraised the construction work. The Dwarfs of Hammerfist Hold had dug this fortress-city into and underneath the Giantshield Mountains; a fairly impressive endeavour. It was well constructed, but severely lacking in the aesthetic qualities that he looked for in craftsmanship. His thoughts were interrupted by the returning guard. He wasn't alone.

They found themselves being taken to Olral, leader of the city, accompanied by a dozen stern, silent and heavily armoured guards. There would be no easy way of fighting their way out of this. Their horses, the Gnome's beast and Gravak's cart were all taken to a stabling area. Boshley made a great fuss over the Dwarfs looking after his mount properly.

"These are the ones?" a particularly elderly Dwarf asked from a throne on a raised platform as they entered a more ornately decorated chamber.  
"Tacky…" Taldir whispered aloud in Elvish, making his own comments on the décor known to those who shared the language with him.  
"That's right," the guard who had left them at the gate answered. "They claim to have picked up Jarmaath's hire fee after the messengers were ambushed. Olral stroked his beard thoughtfully for a few seconds while they finished the long walk across the chamber.  
"Let's hear your tale," he said when they reached the foot of the short stair beneath this self-stylised king. "Tell it thoroughly, and tell it true."

Arden did almost all of the talking, truthfully filling the Dwarfs in on everything that had happened since they had left Brindol, omitting only their intended destination in the Thornwaste, and the meeting of Mihai.

"You say these Goblins wore a second symbol, alongside the Red Hand insignia?" one of the guards asked.  
"It was something like this," Taldir replied, as he quickly drew the shapes from the Goblins' armour with his finger, leaving flaming lines floating in the air for all to see.  
"The Scarred Eyes…" Olral observed.  
"A new enemy?" Eldarion asked.  
"An old one," the first guard replied. "Seems that they've allied themselves with the invaders. They're not an exceptionally large tribe, but they're vicious fighters. For Goblins, at least…"

"Well…" Olral continued after a short pause. "The payment seems in order. The Shining Axes will depart for Brindol at dawn as promised; they will perform admirably, and hold any line that they're deployed on, providing the strategy is sound and they're not exposed. Make sure Jarmaath knows that when you return.

"Now: what are you all doing here?" he finally asked.  
"Apart from delivering the payment, you mean?" Arden asked. Olral eyed her impatiently, and she did not need to be asked verbally to elaborate.  
"Heading south to scout the enemy," she replied vaguely, but further glances prompted her to say more. "There are rumours of gathering forces in the Giantshield Mountains…"  
"The Scarred Eyes," a guard interrupted.  
"Right…" Arden agreed. "And further rumours of forces gathering in the Thornwaste." This too was deliberately vague, but Olral was far more interested in the location than the possible identity of enemies there.  
"The Thornwaste is uninhabitable," he declared. "You're wasting your time if that's your destination."  
"We have time yet before the invasion hits Brindol," Arden responded. "We have to follow up every rumour, and eliminate, or at least identify every enemy heading into Elsir Vale. It is _not_ a waste of time…" Her impassioned delivery seemed to convince him well enough, and Olral gave them leave to relax and enjoy the hospitality of Hammerfist Hold before their arduous and futile journey south.

They were provided with evening meals, ale and beds for the night; the most comfortable lodgings that they were likely to have in several days. From the map that Arden had purchased, it looked like a two day journey in each direction to reach Urikel Zarl, and the land was barren, rocky, and difficult to navigate.

The following morning, before departure, Taldir sought out a Sage among the Dwarfs, and was directed to a three-story wooden structure set against one of the cave walls. He could not read the runes on the door, but once inside, the occupant assured him that he was standing in a library.

Well... it had books and scrolls: plenty of them. But very little in the way of comforts and other essential equipment. There wasn't even much light to speak of. The Sage himself wasn't all that impressive either.  
"I have some questions that require research…" Taldir stated once he'd been reluctantly welcomed inside.  
"Of course," the Dwarf replied gruffly. He waited expectantly.  
"You see… I've heard something about a piece of rather interesting dark magic," Taldir teased. "I have no interest in using it myself, I assure you…" he stated, hopefully conveying the truth in his statement.  
"Purely academic, is it?" the Dwarf asked sceptically.  
"Yes…" Taldir answered. "Well, more than that: I'm looking for a way to understand and combat it." The Dwarf nodded, seeming a little happier with Taldir's latest words.  
"And what is this piece of dark magic?" he asked.  
"It's called, so I understand, a phylactery."  
"Hmm… Soul Traps?" he asked. "You think that the Red Hand have a Lich fighting for them?"  
"It's possible…" Taldir responded. "I don't want to find myself unprepared for anything."  
"I can respect that…" the Dwarf replied. "I can have a look for you, but I'm unlikely to have anything for several hours."  
"I see…" Taldir said irritably. He should have come here last night: he could stop in on the way back to Brindol, but they would have encountered the Ghostlord already by then.

"I expect to be back here in four days' time," Taldir declared. "Can I check on your information then?" The Dwarf nodded in response, and Taldir turned to leave. But a thought, unbidden and unforeseen, suddenly struck him.  
"While you're at it," he began, turning slowly. "You couldn't research something else for me, could you?"  
"What is it?" the Sage asked with curiosity.  
"Another word that I heard several weeks ago," he began to explain, "and something that I don't understand…"  
"What's the name?" he asked.  
"An, uh," he stumbled, feeling suddenly reluctant to share it. "An Eisenkern… maybe _the_ Eisenkern?" The Dwarf paused to make a show of writing something down. Taldir was fairly convinced that the Dwarf recognised the name already, but couldn't be sure. He bade the Sage his thanks and left. He'd ask Arden to go with him next time: she'd be far better at reading the Sage's guarded expressions.

O-O-O

The Wolf stood again, and shook its bones clean.

The moment they were into uninhabitable land, Gravak placed onyx in the corpse's mouth, and cast his spell to raise its skeleton as a fighting tool. The previous Dire Wolf that he'd risen had proved to be incredibly resilient, but it was lost to him for now, a long way to the North West, and beyond Drellin's Ferry.

Olral had been right about the Thornwaste; so had Taldir when he'd echoed and expanded on his words. It was rocky, barren, and relentlessly dry. The only things that grew here were thick, thorny briars, sprouting long gnarly spikes. They had tried to cut through the first copse that blocked their path, but the vegetation was so tough that it was simply quicker to divert a couple of miles to go around it.

They had taken a couple of such diversions when Eldarion, Elantar and Buttercup, the three with the best sense of direction, had all disagreed on which way they should be heading. Up until now, they had all agreed, but this time, they were surrounded by thick, high briars on two sides, and a large rock formation on a third, completing a triangle that blocked their view in all directions. Five paths made their way between the terrain features. Buttercup was insistent they should go one direction, Eldarion completely the opposite way, and Elantar a third option somewhere between the two.

They had been stationary for ten minutes while the three debated the thorny growth that they had just edged around, the direction and movement of the sun, erosion of rocks, wind speed, and other such bewildering things. Gravak eventually decided that he'd had enough, cast a Fly spell upon himself and leapt into the air.

It was good to be in silence for a few moments, if nothing else. The breeze was a little fresher up here too. It was no good though: he couldn't make out a thing.

He dived again, grasped Elantar by the collar, and returned to the sky.

"What are you doing?!" the Elf snapped, kicking her legs in the air.

"Hold still…" he demanded, and found it easier to control his flight path once she obeyed. "I'm not going to drop you: work out which way we need to go." She took out her spyglass and made some observations, instructing him on the various directions that she needed to face.

"Got it," she declared after a minute or so of thoroughly checking the options. "But we have incoming monsters from the north," she added. Gravak descended quickly.

"Four sphinxes heading our way," she snapped as they landed. Taldir gathered everyone into him, and threw up an Invisibility Sphere.

They waited.

O-O-O

Elantar hissed at him for silence. He threw a rude gesture in her direction: he knew that she couldn't see it, but it made him smile anyway.

Boshley dropped his voice to a lower whisper, attempting to calm and comfort Boaz. He could feel that the badger was confused and a little afraid, and Boshley spoke to him, explaining that Taldir had used his magic to hide them all from some flying monsters that were heading in their direction.

Four large creatures, very much with the appearance of a lion with large feathery wings, swooped above them, seeking prey. They all froze, and maintained silence. The monsters circled for a couple of minutes, perhaps convinced that something was hiding from them, before finally giving up and flying back northwards.

"That was close," Taldir breathed as everybody snapped back into view. "I couldn't have held that spell for much longer."  
"Did you work out which way we're heading?" Eldarion asked.  
"You were right," Elantar nodded to him. The Ranger grinned in Buttercup's direction, leaving the Barbarian looking disappointed. "It's this way," she added, gesturing towards the path that edged around the thick briar on their right and through some jagged rocks. They would need continue on foot, at least for now.

The rock field lasted for about half a mile before they were back into open desert. Water was scarce here, but they were fortunate to be travelling with a Cleric, and when everyone's skins were running dry, Gravak filled a barrel that he'd been carrying on his cart with fresh, cool water.

"About two hours until sunset," Eldarion observed. "Can you see any cover?"  
"A few miles ahead," Elantar answered. "We should reach it in just over an hour, and be able to take shelter there for the night."

They had made the next patch of thorny growth in good time, and cut a path to a clearing in the centre to settle in. The night was uneventful, but the thorny and rocky ground made sleeping there an uncomfortable experience.

They spent a couple of hours passing through the thorns the next day, and finally exited into the open, where they found themselves at the top of a long, gently sloping hill. At the bottom, miles in the distance, sat another rocky formation.

"It's the stone lion," Elantar confirmed, and handed her spyglass around so that everybody could get a good look at where they were heading.  
"Zarl haunted my dreams gain last night," Taldir announced. He had been even more sullen than usual this morning. There was a good chance that this had been the reason.  
"What did he say?" Gravak asked  
"He warned against not returning his phylactery… but also offered something in exchange: ' _An amulet you can use in return for one that you can't,_ ' is how he put it…"  
"Any clues as to what it is?" Arden asked curiously.  
"He suggested that it would make the wearer more difficult to kill by conventional means," Taldir responded.  
"More dark magic?" Boshley scoffed. While the promised enhancement sounded tempting, he was convinced that anything provided by a lich would come with a cost.  
"Perhaps…" Taldir pondered. "But the magic sounded exactly like the effects of the _Bear's Endurance_ spell. It could be nothing more complicated or sinister than that." Gravak and Arden both nodded, as if they understood what this spell did.

"One more thing," Taldir continued. "His fortress is heavily guarded; he assures me that his own followers will be no barrier to us for as long as I hold the phylactery visible. He has instructed his minions to grant us safe passage to him."  
"How about out again?" Eldarion asked.  
"That too," Taldir nodded. "Providing we follow through with the delivery."  
"It sounds simple." Arden observed. "I take it it's not simple?"

"No…" Taldir replied. "There are Red Hand forces present which he has no control over. We will need to fight our way in through those."  
"Wos dere?" Buttercup asked. "'Obgoblinz?"  
"Some," Taldir replied with a smirk. "Zarl said there were about a dozen elite fighters, a Cleric and a Sorceress."  
"Mihai?" several asked at once.

"He didn't give a name…" the Wizard answered. "But it's possible. There's a monster there too, but Zarl doesn't know what it is."

O-O-O

Elantar didn't know what it was either. She had moved to the entrance to the stone lion alone to take a look before they attempted to force entry.

It had taken them about five hours to descend the slope to Zarl's lair, the stone lion looming threateningly ahead of them every step of the way. As they finally got close, everybody had glared at Taldir, wondering just what he was thinking bringing them all here. Arden casually suggested that he should head in alone, but Elantar had stepped forward to scout the area first.

The lion sat impassive in the middle of the desert, breaking the otherwise clear landscape. It towered over them, its mouth propped open in a perpetual roar some seventy or eighty feet above them. It extended back a long way; a couple of hundred feet, at least. Between its front paws, facing roughly in the direction that they'd come from was a long shallow set of stairs leading into the gloom.

The beast that waited in the shadows was quite unlike anything that Elantar had encountered before. It was less than forty feet from where she crouched, sheltered behind the top step to the entrance. It had wings. It was, mostly, purple. It had huge, powerful jaws, and razor fangs and claws. It was eating a sphinx, and it was huge; filling most of the entrance chamber. These were the only details that she was able to carry back to the party.

Nobody else could guess at what it was from her description. Eldarion decided to take up a position with a good vantage point for the fight that was inevitably about to happen. He climbed a smaller lion statue that sat outside of the cave mouth, just inside the larger lion's right-front paw. He couldn't identify the beast either, and shrugged in their direction.

"Let's take it," Gravak stated simply, and began to stride purposefully towards the foot of the steps. Boshley, riding on his badger mount, and Buttercup both sprang after him, the three of them making far too much noise. Thinking quickly, Arden whipped out her wand, and struck Boshley with a _Silence_ spell, muting the three of them as they began to climb the steps. Arden and the two Elves followed, preparing weapons, spells and a Flute to combat the enemy.

They quickly gained the top of the steps, and under cover of Arden's magic were able to take the monster by surprise. Boshley lowered his lance and charged in, just as Eldarion's first shots from his vantage point struck. Arden dismissed her spell and instead began to play, raising everybody's abilities. The Bard's magic was strange, and Elantar didn't understand it… but she felt somehow more confident and capable a fighter when Arden worked her music.

She leapt over Boshley and twisted underneath a claw swipe from the monster, swinging a sword around to pierce it underneath its outstretched arm. Eldarion's hound followed her, also jumping over the mounted Gnome, but straight into the waiting mouth of the monster, who gripped it between its teeth. Dog yelped, but was soon freed as Buttercup swung her greatsword in a wide arc, opening a huge wound on the monster's neck which sprayed the inside of the cavern with gore.

The Barbarian had earned the monster's attention, and soon paid for it, being floored by a heavy swipe of its wing. She crashed against the far side of the cavern as Gravak arrived, adding his blows to everybody else's, as well as Eldarion's arrows. It was one of these arrows that finished the monster off, striking it cleanly in the eye and exiting from the back of its head. More blood, and a smattering of brains covered the wall behind where it fell.

"Oh…" Taldir exclaimed as he entered. "It's a Fiendish Bahir. Why didn't you say?"


	22. Chapter 22

*** XXII ***

They were exhausted after the fight with the Bahir; more from the long trek that day than the fight itself. The sandy ground had not been good footing for the horses, and they had been forced to dismount and walk most of the way. They weren't ideally located, but they needed to stop to rest, several amongst the party falling asleep within minutes. Buttercup and Gravak had, between them, managed to haul the corpse of the beast out of the entrance chamber, and they had bought in all of the horses to keep them all together.

Elantar was herself feeling tired from the day's exertions, but had taken the first watch nonetheless. She used the time to identify the hidden entrance deeper into the stone lion, and marked the door's edges with red ink. Finding this had left her feeling exposed, but she knew that her companions needed to rest; particularly Gravak and Taldir in order to be able to prepare spells again.

Two hours passed before anything stirred; there were distant sounds from behind the hidden door. She listened carefully, identifying approaching footsteps, and then looked back to her sleeping companions. She didn't want to wake them unless she had to, but had decided to wake Buttercup first if necessary. Continuing to listen, she confirmed that footsteps were definitely getting closer; at least three creatures.

"Whodya want?" Buttercup asked as she stirred. Elantar removed her hand from the Barbarian's shoulder and motioned for quiet.  
"Someone's coming," she whispered in response. "Can you collect some straw from the horses? I want to light a fire by the door."  
"Wot door?" the Barbarian asked in a whisper.  
"There," she answered, pointing to the wall on the left of the room. She didn't expect Buttercup to see it, but hoped she'd trust her. The Barbarian stood with confusion, and made for the horses to take some of their food from them.

"What's going on?" Eldarion asked, waking with a start.  
"Company," Elantar answered simply. Buttercup turned back to her with an armful of straw, but dropped it as the door slid open.

"Wake!" Elantar shouted, as loud as she could. Most of them stirred, and were shocked to find five Hobgoblins striding into the chamber; four of them considerably larger-built than the fifth. Buttercup unsheathed her sword and sprinted directly at one of the larger ones, but as she readied a strike, the Hobgoblin leapt forward to meet her, smashing her against the far wall of the chamber with a swing of a huge club.

The sound of several figures chanting reached them. They could not tell who or where they were; the sound seemed to come from all around them.

Elantar leapt forwards with her pair of swords drawn, ducking underneath a club swing and thrusting a weapon at the smallest of the foes. She stuck him in his right shoulder, and caused him to flee back into the passageway. Gravak was on his feet, but looked vulnerable without his armour. He began to cast some sort of spell, which seemed to have no effect. His wolf skeleton barrelled forwards and experienced the same fate as Buttercup. Somehow, it regained its feet, as did Buttercup, who glared angrily at the enemy.

Eldarion fired three arrows in quick succession, felling the first of the four large Hobgoblins, while Taldir bathed the area in fire, causing Elantar to flinch back from the heat. Two more of the Hobgoblin brutes fell, charred corpses, along with another, similar in appearance to the Cleric that Elantar had stabbed, only this one had previously been invisible.

Everybody had now stirred and armed themselves, ready to fight off the enemy. Arden fitted an arrow to her bow, but was quickly forced to drop it by a previously unseen assailant. She gasped for air as a chain pulled taught about her neck, three more monks dropping on rappelling lines from outside, all readying chains of their own.

As Arden struggled to free herself, Boshley rode forward on Boaz, lance lowered.

"Duck!" he called. Arden couldn't move, and began to say so. At the very last moment, she managed to twist sideways as the Gnome's lance was planted firmly into the face of the enemy monk, tearing his head from his shoulders.

Elantar found herself toe-to-toe with the final Warbrute, and twisted herself clear of its swings. She leapt sideways as he attempted an overhead slam of his club, and then skipped back to stand on the enemy's weapon. She cut at him twice across the chest, drawing blood both times, before thrusting forwards with a third strike. She sunk her sword into the front of its neck, and pushed until pierced through the other side. She swung her sword back out as he fell and lay motionless.

Before she could react again, the Cleric that had previously fled from her stepped forwards again, his fist glowing with purple energy. He opened his palm, and swung it at her head. It seemed to happen in slow motion, but she found herself unable to side-step the blow. As his slap connected, she almost laughed; the Cleric's other hand held a heavy mace, and he had chosen to slap her instead, like some disobedient child.

All warmth left her, and the world went black.

O-O-O

Elantar was down, and wasn't moving, but Eldarion knew that there was nothing he could do for her. He shot down the Cleric that had floored her anyway, before quickly turning and putting two arrows into one of the Red Hand monks who was about to wrap another chain around Arden's neck. She didn't notice as he fell, but sprung forwards to see to the fallen Rogue.

Lightning filled the chamber, accompanying shouts in what he assumed to be the Goblin tongue. Several of his companions and one of the horses were struck by the bright blue bolts, hurting them and causing the horses to flee in confused panic. He reached out to attempt to calm the nearest one.

With his attention diverted, he was flanked by one of the enemy Monks, and found a thick spiked chain at his own throat. The enemy drove a knee into his back and pulled back hard on the chain. He dropped his bow as he scrabbled at his neck, noticing that Gravak was in the same position. Dog snapped at his assailant, closing his jaws somewhere on the enemy's arm, and Eldarion reached for a dagger, thrusting it back and feeling it connect with Hobgoblin torso. The grip on the chain slackened and he twisted free, burying his dagger twice more in the enemy's sternum as his hound tore at the monk with its fangs.

Arden, having helped Elantar back into a sitting position, had an arrow nocked and ready to fire, but she couldn't reliably draw a bead on Gravak's assailant. Eldarion retrieved his bow, and found it equally difficult; the one time he attempted to shoot the enemy off of the Orc's back he simply missed altogether.

The skeleton wolf reached up with what was once its paws and effortlessly rescued its master. Gravak spun with his mace raised and landed a heavy blow on the monk's stomach. Boshley rode him down with a final lance strike, leaving just one monk remaining.  
"Take him alive!" Gravak called, and Buttercup soon disarmed him, and pinned him to the floor.

"There's one out here still!" Taldir called from the entrance. He'd rounded up the horses, and Eldarion was grateful to see that they were all still together. He sprinted across to Taldir's position, and was soon joined by a rejuvenated Elantar, and also Buttercup, who'd handed the prisoner over to Gravak, Boshley and Arden.

"Tracks…" Elantar observed, hovering a sunrod over the ground outside.  
"Mihai?" Eldarion asked.  
"I don't think so…" she answered. "But if she can change shape?" she added with a shrug.

Buttercup set off at a sprint immediately, the two Elves chasing her as best they could. She didn't slow her pace until she realised that they couldn't keep up with her.

O-O-O

The prisoner gave up little that they didn't already know, even when put under the effect of a Charm spell. The one thing that they did learn was a name for the sorceress who had been standing outside.

"Ulwe Stormcaller?" Boshley asked.  
"That's what he said…" Arden replied.  
"So, not Mihai?" he pressed.  
"I'd be surprised if she only went by one name…" Arden countered. "It could well be the same person."  
"But we'll know no better unless the others catch her…" Gravak observed.

They didn't catch her. Buttercup led them back in about an hour after they'd set off in pursuit. They lost the trail, and had been forced to return empty-handed.

"Gravak, Boshley… good news" Taldir began. He had been examining the enemies' equipment while Arden had been questioning the Hobgoblin monk. "The Hobgoblin Warbrutes wore these on their armour." He handed a crystal to each of them. "They will make your armour more comfortable to sleep in, meaning you shouldn't find yourselves as exposed as you were earlier on." They had both, unusually for the pair of them, shied away from the fighting more than usual. She supposed it was to be expected; they would have gotten used to fighting in their gear, and would likely have felt vulnerable with only their shields and not-so-impressive reflexes to defend them.

"Excellent," Boshley grinned, taking the crystal from the Wizard. "How does it work?"  
"Just attach it to your armour…" he answered impatiently. He also suggested a pair of the Hobgoblins' boots for Buttercup, but couldn't cope with trying to explain the benefits to her, and gave up after one weak attempt. Arden understood though, and conveyed that they would help her to counter charge when an enemy ran at her.

"I'll take watch this time…" Eldarion offered as they settled to rest again.  
"Wake us as soon as you hear anything this time," Taldir snapped, before turning away and laying his head down.


	23. Chapter 23

*** XXIII ***

They were not disturbed any further, and managed a full night's rest before Elantar woke everyone after her second watch. After Mihai's escape, both she and Eldarion had been more vigilant with the prisoner they had taken this time. The Monk had spent the entire night in quiet, contemplative meditation, and hadn't said a word to either of them.

"We're not going to get any more from him," Arden said with a nod to the prisoner once they were all prepared for the day.  
"I'll duel him for the information!" Boshley exclaimed, and prepared to fight.

"That's really not going to work this time…" Arden began to explain. Elantar too was growing wearisome of the Gnome's propensity to fight everybody that they encountered. It was as if his diminutive size made him feel like he had something to prove. Arden reluctantly explained Boshley's intentions to the Hobgoblin, who grinned with an amused expression. He spoke the Goblin tongue, so Elantar couldn't understand his response. Arden was trying hard to supress a smile herself though.

"I won't fight an unarmed opponent; can we get him a dagger or something?" Boshley asked. Eldarion held out his knife, handle first, which the Monk took from him, examining it curiously for a few seconds.

"En garde!" Boshley shouted, brandishing his sword in the Monk's direction. The Hobgoblin cast Eldarion's weapon aside, and leapt forward, hammering Boshley three times with his fists before the Gnome could react. He stumbled backwards, bleeding from a cut on his brow.

Boshley rallied, and thrust his sword towards the Monk who seemed to see each blow coming and stepped aside, before moving forward again to attack once more. Boshley reacted quickly to the move though, and impaled the Monk as he advanced. He hung immobile on the Gnome's sword for a few seconds before slumping backwards and to the ground.

"Well… that was a bit underwhelming," Eldarion stated.  
"Let's go," Elantar said decisively, and led the way through the previously hidden door.

The corridor on the other side curved upwards, gently at first, but gradually getting steeper, curving to the right as it did so. They were moving inside the lion's right flank, towards the rear and slightly to the centre of the inside. Spectral Lions watched over the path further up, and growled in warning.

"I'd better go first…" Taldir said nervously. He slowly stepped to the front, making sure that the Phylactery was clearly visible around his neck. The Lions sat at ease, making clear that they would let them all pass.

"I want to trust that we can reach Zarl unhindered by his minions," Taldir explained, "but we're still vulnerable to any Red Hand who may be here…"  
"I'm right behind you…" Elantar replied, hoping that this could encourage him forwards somehow. Taldir was noticeably always a long way back in their formation, and leading the way forward in a vulnerable position was clearly not something he was comfortable with.

"Two doors…" the Wizard announced as they reached the end of the passageway. Elantar took a listen at each, Eldarion moving forward to do the same. They both agreed that nobody awaited them on the other side.

The first door, on the left, was a dead end: just a small and long unused storage area. The second opened out into a wider area with several footprints in the dust. This had seen far more foot traffic in recent times: most likely Red Hand members who had been present here. Apart from the evidence of recent bodies in the room, there was a long spiral stair ascending into the ceiling about twenty feet above them. The foot prints lead through to one of several doors off of this larger space, and they decided to follow these first.

"Ugh!" Arden explained. They had entered a relatively small room that was simply covered in blood…  
"A slaughterhouse?" Elantar wondered. "Where would they get the cattle out here?"  
"I don't think this is animal blood…" Eldarion countered. A raised stone platform had trenches cut into it to channel blood towards one end, where it trickled down towards a drain. Most of the blood had not followed this carefully designed path, however and was spread across the floor and walls. They all agreed to move through as quickly as possible.

The wet metallic scent followed them through into the next tunnel. The passageway narrowed, and Taldir was forced to step forward alone again into the unknown. He was moving frustratingly slowly.

"Which way?" he whispered nervously as they reached a fork. The narrow passageway moved left, towards a dimly-lit room, and also continued on to what looked like a corner where the path would also turn left.  
"I don't know," Elantar shrugged. "This is your call…" Taldir closed his eyes for a few seconds and breathed deeply.  
"I think Zarl is this way," he whispered again, and stepped onward towards the corner.

The dust thickened as they approached the corner, and turning left at the wall, they found more of the same. The corridor led on and opened out into a room that looked like a library of some sort. The dust testified to nobody having set foot here in many years.

"What's going on?" Boshley asked from further back. The Gnome, along with Eldarion, had been watching their rear to make sure they weren't ambushed in the darkness.

"This is…" Taldir said with a gasp. He looked seriously awed by the amount of information stored here. A faint line in the dust suddenly began to glow a gentle gold five or six feet ahead of them.  
"Do not cross that line," Taldir stated firmly. "We need to go back the other way…" he added.

They passed the message back down the line, and all manoeuvred themselves into a position to enter the new room. Taldir paused, and would not enter the room.

"This is it…" he whispered nervously.  
"Are we going in?" Boshley asked.  
"Yes," Taldir said with a nod, but still didn't move.  
"Right then!" Boshley exclaimed after a few more seconds of inactivity, and strode forward with his sword drawn.  
"Wait!" Eldarion hissed, reaching out. Boshley shrugged him off, and entered the room. He only took a few steps in before he was set upon by several dark shapes.

"Taldir, move!" Arden demanded. The Wizard snapped to attention and stepped forward. He snatched the Phylactery from around his neck and held it aloft as he entered. Everybody followed him in.  
"Stand down!" the Wizard tried to shout, but his voice seemed small in the large chamber. One by one, the spectres attacking the Gnome realised who had entered, and slowly backed away from Boshley, taking up position in alcoves around the side of the room. Another gold line sat twenty feet ahead of them, and Taldir shuffled through the dust toward it, but did not cross to the other side. Nothing happened.

"Well?" Gravak asked, as he moved to join the Wizard. "What now?" Taldir looked around the room.  
"One of you…" he gestured to the creatures around the edge of the room. "Summon your Master."

O-O-O

"Where is it?" a thin and menacing voice asked from the shadows. They all looked around in the voice's direction, but Taldir could see nothing.

"Where is it?" the voice repeated, closer this time. Taldir felt his heart quicken and the temperature of the room drop.

A figure floated towards them in the gloom, and stopped short of the gold line that marked the boundary that Taldir knew he mustn't cross. Nobody had told him not to cross, exactly: it was just an overwhelming feeling that he got when he first saw the line in front of the library, and again here. He felt compelled to hold up the Phylactery, and did so.

"Very good…" Zarl breathed. "Now; throw it to me."  
"You…" Taldir whispered. All confidence had left his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You mentioned another amulet before… An exchange?" Zarl's left hand disappeared inside his robes, and emerged clutching a metallic object hanging from a chain.  
"This will make the wearer more durable," he rasped, "I am beyond its need, but a mortal such as yourself would benefit."

Taldir wearily cast D _etect Magic_ , immediately identifying a number of magical fields in the chamber. He focused for a few seconds on the Amulet in Zarl's left hand.

"It is not necromantic magic…" he observed.  
"Quite…" Zarl replied. "I did not create this particular item. I believe it carries a common, yet powerful, transmutation spell." Taldir nodded slowly, and stepped forward, poised to throw.

"Just before we exchange…" Arden interrupted.  
"What?" Taldir asked.  
"We take it that there's no need for you to support the Red Hand's invasion anymore?" she asked Zarl directly.  
"That's correct…" he answered. "They will not have my support; my Bonedrinkers will remain here."  
"Good!" she exclaimed. It was wise of her to check, Taldir told himself inwardly. He poised to throw the Phylactery forward again.  
"Hold on!" Arden interrupted once more. Taldir made a good guess at what the next words from her mouth were going to be.  
"Arden… we discussed this," he hissed at her.  
"We need to try…" she responded petulantly.

"We also take it," she began, "that you have no love for the Red Hand. They stole from you… forced you into working with them. Don't you want revenge?"  
"I want my amulet!" Zarl snapped. Taldir threw it forward, landing it at the Ghostlord's feet. Zarl threw back the other Amulet in exchange, which Taldir caught.  
"You will leave now," Zarl stated.  
"Hold on!" Arden stated. "Is that it? You don't want vengeance on the Red Hand? To see their plots fail?"  
"You will leave now," Zarl repeated. "My patience is shrinking."  
"Arden…" Gravak said calmly, and pulled her back.  
"Understood…" she agreed, and went with him.

"Are there any Red Hand left here?" Eldarion asked.

"No… you killed all of them," Zarl answered. "Although the one they call Stormcaller escaped. They kept mostly to the upper sections of my lair; you may see if they have left anything of interest behind, but my own forces will guard the more sensitive parts of my domain. They will not attack you if you keep to where you should be. Now… go."

Zarl watched them all leave the chamber, before turning and retreating in the direction that he entered from.

* * *

Gravak was once again frustrated at having to leave behind one of his Dire Wolf skeletons, but taking it into the Dwarf town was simply impossible. He commanded the skeleton to lie low in a ruin on the edges of the Thornewaste: he expected nobody to pass this way before the end of the war.

The journey back across the Thornewaste had proved uneventful, and they entered Hammerfist Hold for the second time two days after leaving the Ghostlord's lair. The Shining Axes had departed for Brindol as promised, and were due to arrive the following day. Gravak and his companions should find them there already when they themselves returned.

O-O-O

It had been several days that Eldarion had been back with them, and Arden had studied him carefully at every opportunity. She knew so little about her own father, and had, of course, never met him. But everything her mother had told her seemed to fit. Part of her desperately hoped it wasn't him, but one way or another, she had to know. She would confront him tonight: it was about time…

"Arden?" Taldir said, interrupting her thoughts. "I'd like you to come with me to meet somebody…" he hinted.  
"Who?" Gravak asked.  
"We'll see the rest of you in the tavern soon enough…" he replied. He remained tight-lipped about any other details.  
"So I'm coming, am I?" she asked. He stared back at her, expectancy in his eyes. It was simply easier to go along…

"So where are you taking me?" she asked as soon as they'd separated from the rest.  
"I left some questions with a Sage before we left. I wanted more information on Phylacteries, and on Zarl himself… and also the Eisenkern from that mine in the north."  
"So… why am I here?" she asked.  
"It was mention of the Eisenkern…" he responded. "There was a reluctance about him that I couldn't quite read. As if he knew the name already, but would not tell me. I was hoping for your help in working him out."  
"I see…" she replied. She had suspected it was something like that.

The Dwarf who greeted them in the library was fairly jovial. For a Dwarf, at least. He explained a number of things about Phylacteries and the Ghostlord's past that Taldir already knew. The Wizard was disappointed to not have any new information.

"Now, this Eisenkern that you mentioned…" the Dwarf said, moving on and adopting a gruffer tone of voice. "Can you tell me where you heard the name?"  
"Tell us what you've learned first…" Arden tried. He sighed and shook his head.  
"I'm afraid that there is no information that I can tell you," the Dwarf responded. He was lying; Arden had no doubt about it. Subtly, she sang a few notes, casting a charm spell on him. It was risky, but she knew this is exactly what Taldir had wanted from her.

"What can you tell us about the Eisenkern?" she asked again.  
"I really am very sorry," he replied, "but there is nothing that I can say," he smiled.  
"Are you sure it worked?" Taldir whispered to her in Elvish.  
"Yes…" she responded. It had: he really had nothing to tell them. "You don't know anything about it?" she asked to confirm.

"Oh! Of course…" he replied. "I know a great deal about the Eisenkern, but I have made it my life's work to conceal it…" he beamed at them again. Arden was confused: _Charm Person_ had always got information out of people, no matter how reluctant they'd been to give it up.

"I really am very fond of you…" the Dwarf continued, "but I don't want to put you in that sort of danger. Please… both of you, don't pursue it." Arden and Taldir looked at each other with confusion.

"Now," the Dwarf continued, "will you tell me where you heard the name?" Arden tried to think quickly of something plausible, and had just settled on something when Taldir answered with, of all things, the truth.  
"The Eisenmond Mine," he said foolishly. "This was several weeks ago."  
"I see…" the Dwarf replied, and began to take notes. "And what took you there?"  
"Ogres," the Wizard responded. "A tribe were terrorising a local village, and had allied themselves with some Kobolds and taken the mine as their base of operations. We encountered a large number of spirits in a hidden room who were talking about it."  
"And what did they say?" he asked, with a hint of agitation.  
"Let me see…" Taldir began. He closed his eyes, as if calling up the memory from somewhere deep inside. "It was something along the lines of: ' _It must be returned…'_ that it had been ' _Stolen… not destroyed_." Arden shivered at the memory. The Dwarf looked extremely concerned.

"I will have to tell Olral…" he stated. "How did you leave things?" he added, just before putting down his inkpen.  
"I took up a p…"  
"We shut the door and got out as quick as we could!" Arden snapped, interrupting Taldir. She sensed that telling the Dwarfs that they had freed all of those spirits would probably not be a good idea. The Wizard paused for a moment before nodding in silence. That was quite enough truth for one day.

O-O-O

They took the northern road out of Hammerfist Hold at dawn, beginning the two day journey back to Brindol. Signs of war had not reached this far south, and the land was much as they'd left it a few days ago. Eldarion had no problem with letting Elantar take the lead scout role as they left; he had been left confused by something mentioned the previous night.

"Arden?" he greeted the Bard, bringing his horse back into step with hers.  
"Yes?" she replied. She didn't look at all comfortable… she hadn't around him since he'd re-joined them all at Starsong Hill. At first he assumed it was because of how they'd left things in the north, but as the others had all got over that, even Gravak, Arden had remained cold towards him. He'd caught her casting furtive glances at him several times, and was simply confused… Even more so after what she'd said after almost a whole bottle of wine the previous evening.

"You said something about wanting to talk last night?" he asked. "Something about a… Derella?"  
"Err… sorry; I don't know what you mean," she smirked. He didn't believe she was being honest though.  
"I did recognise the name, is all…" he replied. A look came across her face that could only be described as panic. She quickly changed her features, and attempted to laugh it off.  
"Really… I don't know what you mean," she smiled. "I remember Boshley getting in that fight… but there's very little else about last night that I remember." She smiled again, and after a few seconds of silence took out and began to play her flute, bringing a definite end to the conversation.

They reached Dauth just after midday, finding the town as deserted as when they'd left it. They stopped here for lunch, eating from the provisions the Dwarfs had supplied them with for the road. The stream that ran through the town was clean, and they drank and re-filled their waterskins from it.

"Have you noticed anyone on the road?" Eldarion asked Elantar.  
"Nothing," she shrugged between mouthfuls. "You want to take point for the rest of the day?" she asked. He nodded in agreement.  
"I feel like we're being watched…" he added.  
"Where?" she asked.  
"Here…" he answered. "Most of the morning really. Since about an hour out of the Dwarf city."  
"I'll keep an eye out…" she replied.


	24. Chapter 24

*** XXIV ***

Prosser's Temple of the Sun sat, ironically, as a looming shadow. The high towers, with their surrounding windows, would provide the best views of the town, so they chose this as their place to stop for the night, stoking up one of the fire pits to bring light back to the temple again.

Buttercup looked more at ease than Elantar had ever seen her. She had talked at length with Boshley on the road that day about this place: the Clerics of Pelor that they had met last time they had been here had made quite an impression on her. Boshley had spoken of his own deity, Sheyanna Flaxenstrand, who the Gnomes venerated as their ideal of beauty. Elantar couldn't help but scoff at all this, but kept her thoughts to herself. It had been several months since she'd made her own observances after all, and she quietly wondered if Brindol had a local shrine to Olidammara.

None of them, save Coralyn, had been vocal about their faiths since they met. The Human's zeal for Ehlonna had been a frustration more than anything. Most of Eldarion's village had also venerated the goddess of the woodlands, along with Corellon Larethian, the most commonly worshipped Elven god. Elantar had noticed Taldir offering prayers to him also, along with Boccob, the God of Magic. Arden, she suspected, also offered tribute to Olidammara, but like all fellow believers, kept this private. Strangely, it was Gravak, the only Cleric among them, who seemed to hold to no deity at all.

"I think you're right…" Elantar said to Eldarion after taking him aside. "We are being watched." He nodded, looking as if he was relieved to have had some confirmation.  
"Anything in particular?" he asked.  
"No…" she replied. "It's like you said earlier; just a feeling, like there are eyes on us the whole way.  
"I'll take first watch tonight; get some rest," she added.

* * *

The night passed without incident, but Boshley and Taldir had both felt watched as they set out that morning too.

They pushed on eastward, following the road that ran parallel to and south of the Dawn Way. Koth's map had suggested the invasion route would follow the main road through Elsir Vale, and they wanted to move as far from expected enemy patrols as possible.

"Voices ahead…" Eldarion said suddenly, about an hour into their morning ride. He held them up while Elantar joined him in creeping forward to take a closer look.

"You don't understand Goblin, do you?" he asked.  
"No," she whispered in reply. "But I'm pretty sure that's the language they're using… some of their vowel sounds are common with Orcish."

She motioned for Taldir to join them before they resumed their advance. He was nowhere near as good at moving silently as either of the other Elves, but they still made it to the edge of a clearing unnoticed. A large and isolated farmhouse stood before them, crawling with Red Hand operatives.  
"How many do you count?" Eldarion asked. Elantar peered carefully through her spyglass before answering.  
"Half a dozen Hobgoblins… no; eight… three Ogres," she replied.  
"Not really a match for us…" Taldir observed.  
"They have a prisoner too…" she added. "Strung up… in the middle there."  
"Yes…" Taldir agreed, listening carefully. "They seem to be having fun at its expense… torturing it… but just because they enjoy it."

Eldarion retreated, and returned a few seconds later with the others. Taldir and Elantar filled them in on what they were facing, and Buttercup led them forwards, with a determined look on her face. Arden took up her flute and began to play, casting a spell to lend them all extra speed, and then another to raise their fighting abilities. That familiar feeling came over Elantar as she felt her prowess and confidence increase in response to Arden's music.

Buttercup charged the nearest Hobgoblin, but missed with her first sword swing, giving up the element of surprise. Taldir followed this up quickly, striking the ground in the middle of the enemy with a Fireball that flattened two of the Hobgoblins and left two others, plus one of the Ogres reeling from the blaze. Gravak caught up to Buttercup and touched his mace to her shoulder. Over the next few seconds she somehow grew, matching the Ogres for size, and swung her huge sword menacingly about her head as the Red Hand agents backed cautiously away from her.

Reality seemed to distort itself around the enlarged Barbarian, as several figures emerged from nowhere. They were humanoid, but with the features of a black dragon, each wielding a barbed halberd. Four of them set about Buttercup, cutting deep into her hips and thighs, while the other two made for the rest of them as they approached.

O-O-O

Arden cast her _Haste_ spell once more, granting every one a boost to their pace. She then lowered her flute in favour of her bow and moved across to the left flank, Boshley and Elantar close behind her. Buttercup was fighting back in the centre, cutting down first a Hobgoblin chieftain, before slaying two Ogres with her backswing.

Elantar overtook her, cutting down the first dragon-hybrid thing that closed down on them. Another of them who was threatening Buttercup slumped to the ground, victim of one of Taldir's _Sleep_ spells.

Gravak summoned up a pair of his skeletal minions to further aid the surrounded Buttercup, as Boshley received the charge of a new enemy that leapt out of the barn. They had, it appeared, walked right into an ambush…

O-O-O

Boshley gasped at the new enemy that assaulted him; it was some sort of huge demon-wolf, the likes of which he'd never seen. The Red Hand had some strange creatures at its disposal, it seemed… He was pleased to see that it still bled though, and set about defending himself and Boaz from the swipes of its claws.

O-O-O

Taldir stood with Eldarion, as the Ranger fired continuous arrows into the combat ahead of them. He was whittling down the Hobgoblins quite effectively, but the final Ogre and the black dragon demons were proving more difficult to hit. Taldir decided upon his next spell, and covered the ground around Buttercup with writhing black tentacles. Several of the demon spawn fell prone as they attempted to free themselves. Boshley was fighting off another demon; Taldir suspected that it might have been a Barghest, but hoped for a closer look before committing to that.

He very quickly came to regret that wish.

O-O-O

A second of the demon-wolves had just appeared directly in front of Taldir and Eldarion, and leapt on the Wizard. He was in serious trouble, but Elantar was too far away to help… She had only just caught up with Boshley to help him out with the one he was fighting; Taldir and Eldarion would have to deal with the monster themselves.

Boshley thrust his lance into the flank of the beast, causing it to howl in pain. It swung a paw at Boshley, but connected instead with his badger's head, causing his mount to howl in fury and fight back with alarming strength. While the beast was distracted, Elantar flurried her swords, cutting its flank to ribbons and laying it low.

"Taldir…" she said simply to the Gnome. Boshley looked up, and spurred his mount to the back of their lines.

O-O-O

It shouldn't happen like this. Eldarion and Taldir stuck together during fights, often with Arden too, hanging back and contributing to the fight at range while the others got stuck in. But one of these strange creatures had appeared from absolutely nowhere and had the Wizard pinned and helpless, bleeding from a number of wounds.

"Help…" Taldir gasped. Eldarion dropped his bow, and took out the spear that he kept as a back-up; the same one that he'd looted from an Orc in the northern fortress just after he'd met these companions.

He twirled and thrust it into the beast's flank, getting its attention. It growled at him, and prowled forwards. Eldarion watched it closely, spear readied, expecting it to pounce. It did just that, and Eldarion fended it off, stabbing at its forelegs, and jabbing his spear into the meat of its shoulder.

Taldir slowly raised himself into a sitting position and held out a hand. A lightning bolt crashed into the monster, leaving it a charred and immobile mess. He offered a hand and helped Taldir back to his feet just as Boshley arrived. The Gnome looked disappointed to have missed the fight.

Buttercup cut down the final demon in the centre, and Taldir dismissed his tentacles, allowing her to move freely again.

O-O-O

"Are there any more hidden?" Elantar asked as they gathered around the centre. She and Buttercup, now shrunk back to her normal yet still significant size accompanied her to the farmhouse. If anyone was here still, they reasoned that this was the most likely location. Arden covered the inside of the house with golden sparkles, but revealed nobody hiding there.

"The prisna was alredy ded," Buttercup explained when they returned.  
"Yes…" Taldir breathed. "They drew us into a trap like a band of fools."

They had discovered over the past few days that their enemy were more cunning than they had previously realised.

* * *

It was late when they returned to Brindol, but the town had changed much in the eight days that they had been gone. For one thing, there were hundreds more people than when they were last here, most of them looking very frightened. Arden tried to speak encouraging words to some of them, particularly the children. She knew that what she was saying was lies though; she didn't even believe her own words.

As well as the extra humans from other parts of Elsir Vale, there were a number of Dwarfs wearing golden axe insignia; Hammerfist Hold's reinforcements had arrived, and were apparently doing their best to deplete the taverns of their ale supplies before the invading forces arrived. There were a lot more Elves than usual too, and Eldarion recognised and greeted a number of citizens of Starsong Hill.

Her gaze lingered on Eldarion… A part of her cursed herself for not taking the opportunity to tell him about her mother. When he said he recognised her name it almost confirmed her suspicions. Would it really be so bad if he _was_ her father? Of course it would… She felt sick.

O-O-O

Buttercup knelt at the grave, and wept openly. This was where the man's family had buried him; the kindly blacksmith whose wife had fed her that evening. They didn't care that she was a half-Orc; had even let their children play with her. And now he was dead, and it was all her fault. She stood, and asked the nearest person for directions to the Temple of Pelor. The man cowered from her, but told her what she needed to know. Seeing it clearly, shining on top of the hill, she set off.

O-O-O

The tavern was busier than the last time the two of them had come here. Elantar glanced cautiously at Gravak, questioning whether or not this was still a good idea. The Howling Bear was Brindol's quietest inn, which according to Arden gave them the best chance of contacting the black market. With this many present, their enquiries would become even more dangerous.

Gravak strode purposefully forward: he was clearly undeterred. The Cleric had cast some sort of spell upon himself which he claimed would make it easier to garner information from people. Elantar found her scepticism quickly quashed as Gravak sat talking with a stranger. She, as agreed, would sit separately, but still within earshot.

"I know a manufacturer that could help you…" the man's thin, reedy voice claimed. The room was noisy, but the pitch of his voice helped to carry his words to her.  
"A wand?" Gravak asked.  
"I'm not an expert…" he retorted.  
"But your… friend is?" he added.  
"Quite… although, in these times, he is quite in demand," the stranger added. "How long do you plan to stay in Brindol?"  
"I'll be here for the duration of the attack." Gravak responded.  
"Good…" he sipped from his tankard. "It will take several days to even set up a meeting, and then he will need longer to make something to your specifications."  
"How many days exactly?" Gravak asked.  
"I do not know…" There was a pause. "Meet him here in seven days' time."  
"Seven!?" Gravak growled. "I was hoping for a speedier service…"  
"As I said, his talents are currently in demand," the man responded flatly.  
"Fine…" Gravak conceded. "How will I know him?"  
"He'll find you," he retorted. "Come into here at midday, find a table and buy a bottle of red wine, but do not open it. He'll sit down and discuss your requirements, give you an expected delivery time and a price."

O-O-O

The priest looked worried more than anything. Buttercup reminded herself that humans usually held half-Orcs in at least some fear. She was also aware of how much taller she was than him.  
"Come again?" he asked with a shudder.  
"I wonna confess," she repeated.  
"F-follow me," he gulped.

He led her to a quiet alcove in the huge stone temple. There were torches every few feet on every wall, and a large fire pit in the centre of the main chamber. Buttercup got the feeling that these lights were never extinguished. They sat together on stone benches. Buttercup sighed with the weight of what she was carrying. She felt responsible, and needed to unburden.

The Clerics of Pelor that she'd spoken to in Prosser had explained this process to her. By bringing secrets out of darkness and into light, we could be free from them and live in Pelor's glory. That was what had bought her here.

"I killed an innusunt man…" she breathed.  
"Innocent?" the priest asked. He looked back at her confused. "You are a great warrior… surely you have killed many men?"  
"Not like dis…" she sighed.  
"Explain it to me…"

She told him everything, right from the beginning. About her home, her reluctance to blend with Orc culture. The need to defy behaviours that should be natural to her; to turn from evil ways and embrace goodness. When she got to Brindol, she explained what she'd been doing among the poor there: training and equipping them to defend themselves and their homes during the coming invasion.

"Dere woz a Blaksmiff…" she said, hanging her head. "I gave him a speshul sorrd; magik, it woz." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Sum wun robbed 'im an' nikked it, an'e e got killd. Iss my fault e's ded."  
"It's not your fault," the priest said with a sad nod. "I have heard of you from the peasants here: you are held in very high regard by them."  
"Reely?" she asked.  
"Oh yes…" the priest said with a smile. "And this man's death… you are not to blame; you performed a very generous act, giving up something valuable that he might defend himself and his family. It is the criminals who took his life that are to blame." He stood, and motioned for her to do the same.

"Buttercup," he said, "I absolve you in Pelor's name." She smiled, and felt more relaxed, more complete than she ever had.


	25. Chapter 25

*** XXV ***

"Now that we're all here," Jaarmath began, "I'd like to introduce everybody."

Arden didn't feel this was entirely necessary; she knew who each person in the room was by now.

"Varassa Kaal," he gestured to the well-dressed lady on his left, "one of Brindol's most successful merchant traders." She frowned and nodded to the room. Arden was well aware of her intense dislike for the Mayor; this was mostly down to the amount of both favours and money that the city owed her. "She is in personal command of one hundred of her House Guard," he added, "fine warriors, whose presence we are very grateful for.

"Lars Ulverth," Jaarmath continued around the room. Arden shifted in her seat to try and get more comfortable; she felt like this was going to be a long afternoon. Boshley waved and smiled enthusiastically at the Guard Captain, who he had made acquaintance with before. "Captain of the Lions of Brindol, and my most trusted military commander.

"Tredora Goldenbrow," he gestured to the Cleric on Ulverth's left with a smile. The sparkle in his eye and lightness in his voice betrayed to Arden that the rumours about Tredora and Kerdan Jaarmath might be true. "High Priestess of the Temple of Pelor," the Mayor completed. "She is taking overall command of sixty of Brindol's Clerics, many of them from her own temple.

"Sellyria Starsinger of Starsong Hill," Jaarmath continued as he presented Eldarion's mother. She was already well known to all of the party, not just her son. "The Elves in the north of the Vale are few in number, but Sellyria has bought seventy-five of her Owl Riders with her, who can act as scouts and mobile archers.

"Lady Soranna Anitah of Drellin's Ferry," he announced; this was another who was well known to the group. She smiled at them all with recognition. Arden was pleased to see that she'd escaped to Brindol. "Soranna will help to command the Militia that we have conscripted, several of whom are citizens who travelled here with her from the West. Also, quite significantly," he added, waving a new piece of parchment in his right hand, "she brings a report of the forces that we can expect to be facing supplied by… Joerr?"  
"Jorr," Seranna corrected. "Jorr Natherson."  
"He survived?" Elantar cut in.  
"He did," she smiled. This was good news. Arden hadn't yet discovered if Soranna knew his secret, but had never wanted to risk exposing him by asking outright.  
"Soranna?" Jaarmath gestured, as he passed her back the scouting report that Jeor had provided. He re-took his seat, and sipped at a cup.

"There are several thousand invaders moving through the Vale," she began.  
"How reliable is this information?" Varassa interrupted.  
"Jorr risked much to get this to us," she responded. "I've known him for a long time; he has no reason to invent what he's seen. Besides, other, more recent, scouting reports seem to corroborate what he's stated."  
"Three of us met him," Arden added, "and can vouch for him too." Buttercup looked directly at Varassa and thumped her chest. This seemed to silence her, for now.

"Jorr didn't take an exact head count, but I trust his judgements. Their mainline infantry numbers at around six-thousand, about a third of which are Archers. There are several Goblin Auxiliary units, including around two-hundred Dire Wolf riders." Arden's eyes widened at that. That was an impressive cavalry force. But there was more to come.

"About one-hundred and twenty Ogres; two-hundred Doom Hand Clerics; a few units of Doom Fist Monks; a hundred Bugbear Berserkers; two-hundred Hobgoblin Warbrutes…" Several around the room sat aghast at the numbers arrayed against them, and a few looked uncomfortably at Jaarmath.

"He counted twenty-two Hill Giants; Around thirty Sorcerers and Mind-Benders, and about fifty various monsters, including Wyverns, Barghests, Manticores, Greenspawn Razorfiends and one huge Red Dragon."

"Well…" Eldarion started, but didn't quite know how to continue.  
"There are still Greenspawn Razorfiends?" Gravak asked. "We didn't kill all of them?"  
"The spawning pools at Rhest were their largest concentration of Razorfiends," Sellyria answered, "but they had others." Gravak cursed under his breath and shook his head at this.

"If we can finish the introductions?" Jaarmath came to Gravak next in the circle, and hesitated. "Err… Perhaps you'd all like to introduce yourselves?"

"We've met most here before," Arden answered sharply. "If we've not, you'll get the hang of us pretty quickly. Gravak, Elantar, Taldir… I'm Arden… Buttercup, Boshley and Eldarion," she listed quickly, completing the circle back to Jaarmath.  
"We're very gratified by your aid in this situation," Varassa nodded respectfully.  
"Indeed," Jaarmath picked up, "you've accomplished much already… Now; to my plan for the defence!"

The Mayor unrolled a parchment, which was a detailed map of the city. On this, he began laying small carved wooden tokens, which presumably represented different units. Arden wasn't a brilliant strategist, but even she could see something very wrong with his ideas already.

"The river will form a firm anchor for our right flank, and the Shining Axes, a Dwarven mercenary company from Hammerfist Hold, on the left," he began, moving another wooden marker onto his map, this one carrying a painted pair of crossed golden axes. "The Lions of Brindol are elite combat warriors, and the finest that we have available to us; two thousand of them will form our main battle line, and will easily outclass the Hobgoblin front line troops." Elantar smirked at this, Boshley shot Lars Ulverth a concerned look, and Gravak frowned.

"We have few archers, but all those available will stand on the walls, ready to rain volley fire on the invaders. They will be supplemented by one-hundred-and-fifty Combat Sorcerers from the Mage's Guild, and as many of the militia that we can equip with crossbows. An Aid Station will be positioned just inside the main gate, where all sixty of our Clerics will be situated, defended by Lady Kaal's House Guard.

"The standing guard from Brindol and other towns who have fled in this direction number about five hundred: these, along with around five thousand Militia recruited from the population will wait in reserve, ready to move forwards and plug any gaps in the lines that may appear.

"The Tiri Kitor Elves of Starsong Hill will act as a mobile scouting and archer unit, ready to report on anything unexpected, and to deal with the flying creatures that we will face."

There was silence for a few seconds as everybody took this in. Jaarmath's plan, if followed, would be an appalling waste of life, and a sure-fire way to lose the city.

"How long do we have?" Arden asked.  
"Latest reports," Seranna continued, "judging by their speed so far, put them around six days away."

"Are we in agreement?" Jaarmath asked expectedly. He moved towards the map. There were several murmurs of dissent from around the table that made him start. He immediately took on a defensive posture; Arden saw that he needed a bit of encouragement, but knew that nobody in the room really thought his plan was any good.

"Lord Jaarmath," she began politely, "I have no doubt that your Lions can easily outmatch the invaders, but hundreds of people have fled the Vale to come here, to Brindol, because it is a city that will be hard to take when the walls are defended by stout men such as yours." There were several nods of approval, not least from Ulverth himself.

"To deploy our forces in front of the walls," she continued, "surely throws away one of our biggest advantages, and places many more lives at risk than are necessary?"  
"I believe she's right, my Lord," Ulverth responded. "In addition, we are greatly outnumbered," he continued. "Uncouth as their warriors are, there are at least three times as many of them than us. In the open field, that will be telling."  
"Then… I'll hear other suggestions," Jaarmath said hesitantly, brushing his markers from the map.

"The Archers and Combat Sorcerers should remain on the walls," Elantar insisted, and stood to replace them where they had just been.  
"The attack will surely hit from the west," Soranna announced, and repositioned a few units to concentrate forces, where Elantar had spread them more thinly around the city.

"The toughest units, your Lions," Boshley said with a nod to Ulverth, "and the Dwarves," he added as he picked up the relevant markers, "should stand guard behind the gates and the weakest parts of the walls."  
"These walls have stood for centuries…" Jaarmath countered. "They won't break through them."  
"You have square towers," Elantar observed. "They are a vulnerable point. Curved walls are much harder to break down, but you don't have any."  
"Fine…" he mumbled. "What else?"

"If we have six days," Gravak answered, "there are several things we can do outside to hinder the invaders."  
"Of course; we're already discussing a palisade and an abatis with our engineers," Jaarmath answered, determined to sound more competent. "They will have representatives here tomorrow for further discussion in any case."  
"Good," Arden answered.

"Where does this gate lead to?" Elantar asked, gesturing to the north gate of the city.  
"Towards Starsong Hill and Rhest," Sellyria answered.  
"Are we sure that there are no enemy north of the Elsir?" she asked.  
"We're fairly certain," she responded. "My riders are keeping watch on both sides of the river. The Red Hand appear to be keeping to the south bank."  
"If we can make certain," Elantar added, "the north gate should be our line of retreat, should we need one. Any remaining civilians should head that way."  
"Agreed," Tredora stated simply.

"Ah," Jaarmath began, "High Priestess. Given this adapted plan, your aid station should now be situated at the Temple of Pelor."  
"Fine, my Lord," Tredora agreed with a coy nod. The rumours were almost certainly true, Arden thought with a smile to herself.  
"Iss on an 'ill?" Buttercup pointed.  
"Yes?" Jaarmath responded hesitantly. "It's excellently located: Central; easy to defend; easy to reach from all parts of the wall."  
"An' an easy targit for their flyin' monstas," Buttercup insisted. "Da hurt people aren't safe dere… I've bin updere meself yesterday, an' it ain't easy ta diffend."  
"My House Guard are more than capable of defending the Temple," Varassa Kaal insisted.  
"I don't think that's the pertinent point here," Elantar interjected. "The Clerics are surely much more use closer to the front lines; where our fighters will be actually getting hurt?" Tredora looked horrified at this suggestion, but Elantar continued regardless. "Having to transport the injured half a mile across the city is completely impractical, and takes people away from other useful things they could be doing… Sixty Clerics spread out around the lines where they can do the most good: that's got to be better than this?" she asked, to much agreement around the room.  
"I can't sanction that!" Jaarmath insisted. "The Aid Station must be as far from the front lines as we…"  
'You just want Tredora to be safe!" Varassa shouted as she stood and pointed accusingly. There were several gasps around the table. Jaarmath bristled and blushed. Arden smirked. The rumours were _definitely_ true.  
"How about…" Elantar began to break the silence. "How about," she continued more confidently, "finding a body guard of ten for each Cleric, perhaps from the most competent members of the Militia? Or even from the City Guards or Lady Varassa's House Guard too?" This suggestion seemed to appeal to most present. Tredora Goldenbrow seemed unconvinced, but realised that any further protests were going to be shouted down, especially after Jaarmath himself had been won-over.

"Next item up," the Mayor continued with a sigh, "is the seven of you," as he gestured towards Arden and her companions. "Now… you all have experience fighting the Red Hand, and a great deal of success so far. We are very fortunate to have you." It might have been embarrassing if it wasn't so true, Arden thought.

"You seem to have valuable skills, and work well as a unit," Ulverth picked up. "As such, we feel it would be foolish to separate you out to fight amongst others with similar skills, and see it as prudent to keep you together as a specialist force to be dispatched to deal with serious threats to the line." On the one hand, staying with others she knew and trusted was very agreeable, on the other, it seemed to Arden like they would be given some of the more dangerous tasks.  
"Is this agreeable to you?" Jaarmath asked. A quick glance around the table suggested that they were, as everybody nodded their assent.

"Finally for today," the Major continued, "Immersten the Red of the Mage's Guild has offered to set up a link by which we can communicate. This can include up to four persons, who will be able to communicate with one another for as long as they survive during the battle." This caused much interest around the table, and Arden got the feeling that there'd been some discussion over this already. "Because of the way that the spell is cast, Immersten will need to be one of the four. I, as overall commander, will be the second. One of the seven of you," he gestured to the party, "should be included."  
"I'll do it," Arden volunteered, keen to represent them.

"Very good," Jaarmath agreed. "This leaves us one more space. Some around the table have ideas about who this should be." Varassa Kaal, Tredora Goldenbrow and Lars Ulverth all looked up at this point.  
"I feel that," Varassa began, "seeing as my force will form an important part of the…"  
"No," Elantar interrupted. "It should be someone in the air," she added, looking directly at Sellyria Starsinger.  
"Definitely," Arden pressed. "The owl riders will have the best view of how the battle unfolds, and will be best placed to direct reinforcements." Ulverth and Tredora both conceded this point. Varassa Kaal betrayed her thoughts quite plainly; she felt like she was being shut out of the decision-making circle.

"Very well," Jaarmath concluded. "Do you have a Captain to nominate Lady Sellyria?"  
"I will be there myself," she replied.

"So… it is decided," Jaarmath nodded. "We meet again tomorrow, after breakfast, to discuss the defences. Until then…"


	26. Chapter 26

*** XXVI ***

Those assembled took a far more efficient approach to the next day's meeting. It was quickly agreed that the western wall should receive defensive structures, and work began to erect an abatis along its length, fifty feet or so from the foot of the wall. The idea of joining the resulting ditch to the Elsir in order to create a moat was discussed, although this was quickly dismissed by the local engineers due to the relative low level of the river. Similar structures would be placed immediately in front of each city gate.

Elantar advocated for a small ditch a further fifty feet away, into which oil could be poured. Archers on the walls would then be given fire arrows with which they could attempt to burn at, or at least separate the invading forces who crossed it. This was agreed to, although there were some murmurs about the waste of good oil.

Sellyria urged the importance of being prepared should the walls or gates be breached, and it was agreed that a second line of defence should be prepared. And so it was; from the banks of the river up to Kerden Way, past Axenhaft Security, around the Graveyard and the temple to Wee Jas. It continued right along the same road around the whole city, until it passed just inside of the Shrine of Yondalla and back to the river. The forces would pull back to here should the walls not hold, while the few remaining civilians evacuated through the north gate. A final defensive line was also erected around the Market Square, just inside this last escape route.

At dusk, six days after the first war council, the Red Hand arrived at Brindol.

It was universally agreed that the first assault would be launched at night; almost all of the invading forces had good night vision, while very few of the defenders could see well in darkened conditions. But they did not attack that first night. Knowing that the defenders would need to be alert through the night meant that the next day was quiet, as much of the city rested. The City Watch took shifts to keep men on the walls, but the Red Hand's encampment was just as quiet.

Elantar and Eldarion walked the walls for much of the day. Elves never truly slept, and they both felt fully refreshed after a few hours rest. Where Boshley, Buttercup and Arden had been attempting to inspire and encourage the locals through song, poetry and tales of bravado, the two Elves cut forlorn, and largely silent figures. Sellyria had joined them for a stretch on their patrol, and they used the time to observe the Red Hand, Elantar passing her spyglass around so that they could all get a good look at the enemy.

"Well, I for one am relieved that Jaarmath's original plan was not enacted," Sellyria exclaimed. She handed the spyglass back to Elantar, who quickly scanned the enemy camp again. Most of it was at rest, which pretty much confirmed the night assault theory. Several sentries, and Dire Wolf riders acting as scouts could be seen on the fringes of the camp, but at no point did any of them stray into longbow range.

The enemy camp stretched thousands of feet; it easily matched the length of the western wall of Brindol, and began to curve around to follow the southern wall as well.

As the city awakened towards the end of the day, the atmosphere was very tense. Militia were marched onto the walls, clutching crossbows nervously; the Lions of Brindol and Dwarf mercenaries stood ready behind the gates and the corners of the city. Brindol awaited the assault. But the Red Hand did not attack on the second night either.

The three Elves once again walked the walls together, occasionally looking out to their enemies. The forces in the city had almost become nocturnal, most of them returning to their beds not long after sunrise.

"They're all frightened," Eldarion observed, as the last of the Militia left the walls, and the first day watch of the guard took their posts.  
"It's not surprising," Sellyria responded, "none of them are prepared for this, and the waiting just makes it worse."  
"Of course…" her son nodded in agreement.  
"I think the two of you could be doing more to help," she stated.  
"Like what?" Elantar replied.  
"Your friends are working hard to encourage the population; the stories about you all are inspirational to them: you should be using that to-"  
"To give them false hope?" Eldarion interrupted. A veteran city guard not far from them peered round at them at this. Elantar hoped that he didn't understand Elvish. "I don't think there's anything we can say or do right now that will help anyone," Eldarion continued. "What they need is for the battle to commence as soon as possible. I don't think _I_ can take another day of waiting, let alone these poor fools who stand little chance of survival."  
"That's enough Eldarion…" Elantar cut in. Inwardly, she couldn't agree more, but the nearby guard was beginning to look a complex mixture of frightened and angry. They moved on, beginning a pacing of the walls that would last a few hours.

"I want to do something now…" Elantar said suddenly as the morning grew late. "What do you think our chances are of getting over there unseen for a closer look?  
"You can't be serious…" Sellyria responded.  
"We have those Invisibility potions still," Eldarion countered. Elantar nodded her agreement. The black-dragon spawn that had ambushed them on the way back to Brindol each carried two invisibility potions, and they'd been hanging on for a good time to use them.  
"You may get there undetected, even without the potions," she said to them both, "but coming back alive? That's a different question altogether… and far too great a risk."  
"Mother…"  
"No. We wait here;" Sellyria demanded. "The city will need you both. Your team will suffer without either one of you. That is the end of it."

"Taldir thought the same…" Elantar said, taking out her spyglass for another look at the enemy camp.  
"You went to him first with the idea?" Eldarion asked.  
"Yes," she stated simply. "We discussed spells that might help. He wanted to transform himself into a cloud of gas or something… Read up on a few things and changed his mind though. Sellyria's right;" she admitted reluctantly. "It's too big a risk."  
"Fine…" Eldarion conceded.

"Oh…" Elantar started. Gravak was gesturing to her from below. "I need to go," she half explained.  
"Where?" Sellyria asked.  
"An appointment with Gravak…" she added. "I'll be back in an hour. Hold on to this," she said, handing over the spyglass.

O-O-O

Brindol was suffering, and would continue to suffer through this invasion. But the fortunes of the Howling Bear had taken a turn for the better over the past couple of weeks. More people, not to mention a few hundred extra Dwarfs in the town, had severely increased demand for ale, and all of Brindol's taverns, even this usually neglected one, were struggling to keep up.

Gravak carried his bottle of red wine over to one of two empty tables, Elantar taking the next table and sitting with her back to him. He expected the conversation to be carried out in a whisper, but knew that the Elf's keen ears would pick up every word.

"Guards," she whispered in Orcish. He was facing the main entrance, while Elantar faced the smaller rear door. He sat very still, and hoped that they'd soon be gone.

"Err… It's Gravak, isn't it?" The young guard stood over him, eyeing him nervously. "You're a friend of Boshley and Arden?"  
"Yes…" he answered simply, willing him to move along. He didn't though: he grinned and held out a hand.  
"McColl," he said. Gravak shook it firmly, making sure he squeezed just enough to cause pain. The young man winced, and looked around for his companion.  
"How old are you McColl?" Gravak asked.  
"Seventeen," he answered.  
"So you won't have seen war yet…" the boy frowned. "I'd suggest returning to your unit; make sure you're ready to fight. You don't have time for taverns."  
"No… I suppose not…" he answered. "Well, thank you for your help with all this," he added, gesturing to the wider town. He found the guard who'd entered with him, and they left together.  
"Just what we didn't need…" Elantar whispered.

Another half an hour passed, and Gravak was feeling foolish sitting still with an unopened bottle. He was about to give up and open it when another man approached him.

"Tell me about your conversation with the guard," he asked in greeting.  
"It was nothing…" Gravak said dismissively. "He's met companions of mine who were far friendlier. I got rid of him as quick as I could."  
"Fine…" he answered. "I believe you."

"Now… you wish to disguise undead, is that correct?" Gravak nodded as he uncorked the bottle, pouring them both a glass.  
"Can it be done?" he asked.  
"Of course…" he answered, taking a sip. "Thanks," he added, raising his glass.  
"The spell will last for a day, disguising a skeleton or zombie as a living being of similar shape and size. It would work best in a cloak, which you would be able to use twice per day. Would this be suitable?"  
"Definitely," Gravak answered. Being able to keep two skeletons in disguise was more than he'd hoped for. He'd just need to make sure he could reapply the spell somewhere discreet each day.

"I should be able to make it in three days. Barring distractions, of course." He sipped at his cup and cast Gravak furtive glances. It was unfortunate that this would be too late for the coming battle.  
"What sort of distractions?" he asked.  
"The war…" he answered with a chuckle. "I have somewhere discreet to work, but should I be found, chances are I won't finish it at all."  
"If it comes to that, I wouldn't expect to survive anyway…" Gravak responded. The man nodded thoughtfully. Gravak realised he didn't know his name.

"My name is…"  
"No names!" the stranger hissed. Gravak started. He was unaccustomed to such business, so trusted the man's experience.  
"Very well…" he agreed. "May we discuss cost?" The man nodded in response and took out some parchment and a pen.

"I can do it for sixteen thousand gold pieces worth of precious stones," he said after a minute or so of calculations. "That includes delivery, discretion and danger money…" This was a lot more money than Gravak had ever spent on a single item. He had the cash though.  
"Fine…" he agreed. "Do we meet back here in three days?"  
"Yes," he answered. "No need to do the thing with the wine next time though." I'll either have the cloak or an update for you." Gravak made to stand, but was held up.

"One more thing…" the man said, and then paused. "I'll require half of the payment up front." Gravak glared at him.  
"And how do we know we can trust you?" Elantar asked from behind him, standing and looming over him. The man sat back slowly with a frown.  
"You were supposed to come alone…" he said in response.  
"So were you," Elantar said, pointing out the two men moving towards them with hands resting on axe hafts. He turned and waved them off. Elantar joined them at the table. "All three of them were here before us," she explained to him, "made us wait here the whole time…"

"You can trust me to deliver," he continued, dismissing Elantar's words, "because I'll want the other eight thousand. I have to conduct my business in secret, but that doesn't mean I don't take pride in my craft. I enjoy making these items, and I enjoy taking payment for them too." He looked sternly at both of them. "I will deliver," he stated.

Gravak nodded. He took out a pouch of stones. He'd changed coins up into a number worth five-hundred gold pieces each, and counted out sixteen of them. The stranger quickly appraised them with a magnifying glass and was satisfied with their value.

"I'll see you in three days…" he said, and left them.

O-O-O

"Elantar's late…" he said.  
"Really?" Taldir asked him. He'd joined Eldarion and his mother on the walls, looking out at the enemy encampment.  
"She said she'd be back in an hour…" he replied.  
"Do either of you have any idea what she and Gravak were planning?" Sellyria asked. They both shook their heads.

It was another twenty minutes or so until she found them again, but she remained tight-lipped about her afternoon, only giving away that it had taken longer than planned.

"Will you come with me to the temple later?" Sellyria asked him as she made to leave. He perhaps should… It'd had been a while since he'd paid tribute to Ehlonna, and they were likely to be facing a dangerous night.  
"I'll see you there," he nodded.

"Temple?" Elantar asked him.  
"She'll appreciate the company," he answered with a sidelong glance.  
"I'm going to one myself later…" she answered.  
"You?" Taldir asked.  
"Yes… what of it?" she replied.  
"You just never seemed the sort…" the Wizard added. "I'll be going to Corellon Larethian's temple after dinner myself if you want to go together."  
"No thanks…" she replied. "Gravak helped me find where I need to go."  
"Fine…" he said, and Taldir too left the walls to head for dinner. Several minutes passed in silence before either of them spoke again.

"Has Arden spoken to you yet?" Elantar asked him.  
"What do you mean?" he asked. "What about?"  
"I don't know," she shrugged. "But she has something she wants to say. Since before you came back, I think."  
"She's… I think she's tried to, but never really got it out," he replied. "I really have no idea what she could want…" he said truthfully.  
"With the way the night's likely to go, it could be the last chance," she responded.

O-O-O

The crowds in Brindol had taken to her well. Arden packed her flute away as she chatted to several admirers. What she was doing in defence of the town may have helped, but she liked to think that her music was doing a large amount of the work.

"Oh… if you'll excuse me?" she said suddenly, smiling in apology. She made her was across to the bar, where Eldarion had just entered. She'd decided earlier that it had to be tonight: the invasion maybe about to hit, and then who knew if she'd have another chance?

"Eldarion…" she said in greeting.  
"Arden…" he nodded back. There were a few uncomfortable moments of silence while they ordered drinks and found a table. She had to hurry on a few fans who were crowding her a bit. Some of the men in the tavern looked at Eldarion with envy.

"Deranna is my mother," she finally said.  
"Deranna?" he asked. "Oh yes… you were speaking about her a few nights ago?"  
"You said you knew her?" she asked.  
"I knew _a_ Deranna once… probably about twenty years ago," he answered. Twenty years ago… the timing was pretty much perfect. "She lived in Dennovar at the time," he continued. "The one I knew, at least."  
"That's where I'm from…" she replied. "And where she's from too; lived there her whole life."  
"Really?" he asked with surprise. "So I may have known your mother? Is that why you've been so strange around me?"  
"There's more to it than that…" she said.  
"What?" he asked simply. She'd have hoped he would have caught on by now.  
"Well… I never knew my father. I only _really_ know that he was an Elf… And from my mother's description…" Eldarion spat out his wine and coughed loudly for a few seconds. "Not really the reaction I was looking for…" she said wryly.

"It's… not… me," he said between gasps as he recovered from his near-choking. "I promise…" he had turned quite red.  
"You're sure?" she asked. He seemed truthful… She dared to hope for good news.  
"It's not…" he paused, catching more breath. "Let's just say… it's not physically possible… if you know what I mean."  
"Yes…" she responded. "Let's assume that I do know what you mean," she replied with a smile.

"Look…" he continued, but then paused again. He frowned.  
"What?" she asked.  
"I'm not sure how to put this delicately…" he answered.  
"Well… then put it bluntly," she demanded.  
"Your mother's a liar…" he shrugged.  
"Ah, I see where the struggle lay…" she responded.  
"She may have _wanted_ me to be your father… in fact, I'm fairly certain that's what she wanted," he said with a grin. "But that was never going to happen. I wasn't interested," he said dismissively.  
"My mother was a very beautiful woman, you know?" she asked. She was, even now, in fact.  
"Maybe…" he said, "but she's a human. Humans don't interest me in that way."  
"Oh…" she replied. "Well… I'm glad you're _not_ my father, I have to say…" she continued. "It might have made things a little awkward…"  
"I'm sure it would have done…" he said, a puzzled expression on his face. "The thing is… I'm not your father, but I'm pretty sure I know who is…"  
"Tell me!" she said with a gasp.

* * *

They all met for dinner and then went separate ways afterward; most were going to one temple or another to make their peace with their gods. Arden went along to the temple of Ehlonna with Eldarion and his mother; she had no particular fondness for Ehlonna, but her and Eldarion had been getting along a lot better since that afternoon. She was pleased to see a familiar face take the dais to deliver a sermon though; Coralyn had travelled from the west with the refugee column, and was now using her abilities to help defend the town; but first, she delivered encouraging words to her god's worshippers.

Coralyn travelled with her and Eldarion afterwards, where they met the others at the Temple of the Sun; the highest and best connected point in the city. The girl's stay was brief though, barely giving her time to catch up with everyone, as she had been given a position on the lines where her healing abilities would be of benefit.

Their horses had been bought to them in case they needed to deploy quickly. Immerston the Red had also met them there, and set up the mind link that would connect Arden with Jaarmath, Sellyria and himself for the night. The human Wizard had also had a conversation with Taldir that she did not understand. She had no interest in learning Draconic.

After an hour or so of catching up and planning, Arden received word of the assault from Jaarmath.


	27. Chapter 27

*** XXVII ***

"They've flanked us!" Arden exclaimed with panic. The voices in her head, while very unnerving at first, had become almost comfortable. At least until this news came. "There are Giants hurling rocks at the south gate, and the south-eastern and south-western corners. They're trying to force entry there… Thousands of troops are forming up behind them!"  
"What else is happening?" Boshley asked.  
"Hang on…" she paused to listen carefully. "Sellyria reports dozens of monsters flying towards the city. The Elves are moving to engage them."

" _Arrows are not reaching the Giants,_ " Sellyria commented from her vantage point. " _There are spells protecting them from ranged attack: I believe they have_ Wind Walls _raised._ " Arden repeated this to the rest as she heard it. There were a few seconds uncomfortable silence over the link.

"A wind wall would not keep spells out," Taldir insisted. "Jaarmath should have Immerston deal with this." Arden, again passed on the information.

" _Immerston! Have your mages engage them all at once!_ " Jarmaath ordered.  
" _I'm well aware that our spells could bring them down,"_ he insisted, " _but that would leave us all drained for the rest of the night, and may even be too much for us to deal with in any case._ "  
" _Sellyria?!_ " Jaarmath asked desperately.  
" _We are over-matched up here already!_ " she responded.  
" _Arden?!_ "  
"There are only seven of us!" she replied out loud. "I'm not sure what you expect us to do against twenty-two giants spread out across the length of the city!" There were a few further moments of silence after this before Immersten responded.

" _I am directing the Guild to engage the Giants at the southern gate and south-western corner. Arden, bring your team to the South Gate – I will meet you there. Make sure that your Wizard has a Read Magic spell active by the time you arrive!"_

They had assembled within about five minutes after a frantic gallop across the city. Immersten joined them at the foot of a stone staircase, leading up to the walls from where he had just descended.

"Take these!" he said, handing three scrolls to Taldir. "They are for a _Teleport_ spell, which is a little beyond your current capabilities." Taldir sneered at this, and a few of those gathered quite enjoyed the reaction. "You'll be able to pull it off if you concentrate," Immersten continued. "There are three there: one in; one out; and a spare in case you mess it up." Taldir tucked two of the scrolls inside his robe with a determined look. "You'll be able to take three with you; I'd suggest your Ranger and the two Orcs. I'll bring the rest and land at the opposite end of their line."

"We're sure this is going to work?" Arden asked. "What are we facing out there?"  
"Our priority is the Giants: there are six in the group we are taking out. Kill them all, and they can no longer throw rocks at the walls. One of them is particularly large: the men on the wall have named him Towering Tom."  
"Oh, right… " Arden replied flippantly. "Anything else?"  
"A number of Ogres…" the Wizard responded.  
"How many?" Boshley interrupted.  
"We can't be sure… Less than ten," he responded. "And we assume at least one Cleric will be with them. The party glanced warily at one another. This was a lot of enemy to be facing at once.

"Now," Immersten continued, "it is essential that we maintain physical contact for the spell to work, which means that, at the other end, we need to stick together so that we can make our escape. Ulverth estimates that we have thirty seconds to get in, kill off the Giants and get out again before their line moves up and we are overwhelmed. Stick together!" he stressed again.  
"Thirty seconds…" Arden murmered, "as in, half a minute?"  
"That's right; the main force is only a few hundred feet behind their rock throwers. This is a surgical strike; we go in, we get the job done, we leave again."  
"Well…"she responded, preparing her flute for a tune, "let's get on with it then."

O-O-O

Teleporting was not an easy sensation to experience. Eldarion lurched as his legs hit the floor, and struggled to gain his bearings. Taldir, Gravak and Buttercup, standing immediately next to him, all seemed dizzy too. But they still reacted quicker than the enemy.

Gravak chanted something in his unintelligible tongue, and Buttercup suddenly towered over them all, almost as tall as the nearest Giant. She leapt headlong at it, and swung her sword in a deadly arc that bought howls of pain from the brute. This was the first indication that they had been spotted. There was no sign of Immersten or the others.

Eldarion quickly overcame his light-headedness and caught sight of a Cleric standing on top of a cart full of rocks. It met the Ranger's glare and began to chant with its arms raised. The Ranger quickly fired three arrows into it, stopping its spell and ending its life into the bargain. His head snapped round at a crack: Immersten had arrived.

O-O-O

Elantar lurched from the sudden movement. She had just travelled about a thousand feet in less than a second; it wasn't natural… Somehow, Boshley and his Dire Badger were unaffected, and reacted alarmingly quickly.

"Tom's mine!" the Gnome demanded as he lowered his lance and spurred Boaz into a charge directly at the largest of the Giants. There was a firm impact into Tom's thigh as the lance bounced off of it, leaving a deep gouge that sprayed crimson over the Gnome's shield.

Arden also seemed unperturbed by the journey, and continued to play her song right up to the moment Boshley's charge hit. She had followed him across, and removed her flute from her lips to begin singing a gentle refrain. Two of the Giants slumped forwards looking somewhat miserable. One of them dropped the rock it had been about to hurl towards the city.

Elantar was left alone with Immersten, and felt suddenly very exposed; she was only a few feet from the nearest Giant, who was yet to notice her. She sprang forwards with both swords drawn, and struck at it three times; only one of her swings penetrated its defences though, and it bellowed in agony as she sliced through the meat of its calf.

Arden continued to sing, and intermittently play her flute. The two she had previously cast a spell on, along with Towering Tom, were now suddenly covered in bright sparkles. The closest Giant clutched at its eyes and began to flail around wildly.

An incandescent blue flash suddenly filled her vision as the Giant immediately in front of her was struck by a lightning bolt. A quick glance to her left showed that it hadn't been the only victim as three of the other Giants also sported smoking wounds on their torsos. Reacting quickly to the opportunity, Elantar lashed out with a short sword, gouging the giant across its hip. Her second thrust hamstrung it, and as it fell, she sliced its neck open, claiming first blood. In the distance, several shouts were raised: the enemy were coming, with considerable numbers.

O-O-O

Taldir's lightning bolt had got Towering Tom's attention. The Wizard grinned at the damage he had caused, but seemed to have missed the fact that the Giant probably now considered him the biggest threat. Eldarion made to fire a couple of quick shots towards the closest Giant before Buttercup separated its head from shoulders. He adjusted his aim, and stuck two arrows into the next one instead.

Tom hefted a boulder about the size of a horse and flung it casually in Taldir's direction. Eldarion cursed silently at having not moved away from the Wizard to a safer position as a shadow grew across the pair of them. They were safe however, as the boulder fell just short. A shout was raised from the enemy lines; Eldarion couldn't understand what was being said, but Taldir clearly had, muttering "no…" under his breath, and ducking away just before several arrows fell amongst them.

Ogres suddenly rushed the party; their role appeared to have been carrying rocks forwards for the Giants to fling at the walls. They had been slow to react at first, but were now suddenly very dangerous. Buttercup met the charge of the first one with her sword, and sliced it cleanly in two from hip to shoulder. Another made directly for Taldir, who ducked a wild swing of its club. In the distance, two sprinted towards Elantar and Immersten. The Wizard side-stepped an attack before unleashing a cone of frost; the area in front of him suddenly became a wedge of ice, freezing four Ogres where they stood. Seconds later, all four of them shattered into thousands of pieces. Taldir looked on appreciatively.

O-O-O

Boshley spurred Boaz into a turn, casually knocking aside an Ogre's axe blow with his shield as he did. He knew that the Giants were their first priority, and was determined to take down the largest one himself. He lowered his lance for another charge.

"Well Boaz," he said aloud, "as my Grandfather used to say: ' _the bigger they are, the easier it is to stab them in the balls'!_ " he completed with raucous laughter. Boaz bounded forwards, and Boshley levelled his lance. He really was at the perfect height… Tom was busily brushing ice crystals off of himself, and looked to be in considerable pain already: he didn't notice the Gnome approaching, and Boshley smashed his lance into the Giant's groin, piercing it into his abdomen. He twisted it free as Tom crashed to the ground, silent. Boshley let out a great roar of triumph, just as the remaining Giants turned visibly angrier at the loss of their leader. One of them was reaching out in front of him and calling out to his companions: he seemed to have no idea what was going on.

They had killed half of the Giants in just over ten seconds; the remaining three shouldn't be too much of a problem to take out in the time that they had left, as long as the Ogres didn't prove too big a distraction. Taldir had very quickly vanished and reappeared out of reach of the Ogre attacking him, and ran back behind Gravak and Buttercup. The Wizard raised his hands and spoke an incantation aloud: in response, the ground beneath the enemy suddenly sprouted several black tentacles. They grasped at them, pulling down one of the Giants and two of the remaining Ogres, who struggled against this new assault.

The Ogre that Taldir had escaped from turned its attention to Gravak, raised its club to strike at the Cleric, but found itself somehow unable to complete the swing. Gravak stood below it, returning its gaze. Instead of striking the Ogre with his mace, he instead called out, summoning an Owlbear skeleton to their aid. This was a very risky move in front of the Head of the Mage's Guild…

Arrows fell among them from the enemy lines, to no great effect. Two bounced from Boshley's armour. A quick glance around showed that all of his companions were still on their feet, although Elantar was beginning to look outmatched by the Ogre directly in front of her.

A fourth Giant fell to the swing of Buttercup's sword, and she continued the same blow through to dispatch the Ogre that loomed over Gravak as well. Arden had fallen quiet behind him, and lined up her shortbow. Her arrow pierced the forehead of the Giant who had appeared to be blinded earlier. It fell to the ground and was covered in writhing tentacles.

Boshley was eager to claim the last one, and spurred Boaz back into the fight: he lowered his lance for what he hoped was a final charge. As his blow struck home, the Giant dropped to its knees with a howl of agony. Boaz reached up and tore its throat out with his claws.

"Form up on me!" Immersten bellowed, sprinting towards Elantar just as she hit the floor: the Ogre had been coming out on top in their struggle, but she had eventually fallen foul of an arrow from the enemy volleys. The enemy had been reduced to just two Ogres in impressive time; they sprinted at Immersten, perhaps sensing that he was the party's route out of here. Eldarion quickly stuck two arrows into the nearest one, and a third into the second, who was just stepping over Elantar's prone body: both fell to the ground. Arden was at Elantar's side first, using her healing abilities to revive her. Immersten moved towards them, and Boshley followed. Taldir had just disappeared along with Gravak, Eldarion and Buttercup; Boshley, Arden and Elantar escaped with Immersten seconds later.

They had done it.


	28. Chapter 28

*** XXVIII ***

Gravak stumbled as he landed back inside the city walls and breathed deeply. The last thirty seconds had passed in a flash, and he'd mostly been acting on instinct, furiously fighting back the invaders. It was an intense experience, and only now that he had time to stop and think about it did he realise that he was short of breath.

"Gravak… A word," the Human Wizard demanded. He followed Immersten aside while everyone caught their breath.  
"Good work out there," he began, twirling his orange beard between his long fingers. He looked like he had a great deal more that he wanted to stay. He didn't though, just continued to stare silently for several seconds.  
"Was there something else that you wanted?" Gravak asked.  
"You summoned skeletons…" Immersten replied. He thought that may have been it. "Look…" he continued. "I'd be willing to go to extraordinary lengths to defend this city; you'll hear no complaints from me… but this place is crawling with worshippers of Pelor and Wee Jas… If they catch you doing that, they'll execute you on the spot," he explained. Gravak nodded slowly. "Promise me that there'll be no more tonight… And certainly not inside the city."  
"Understood," Gravak confirmed, and took leave of the Wizard.

"Hold on… new orders coming through," Arden announced as he re-joined the others.  
"Yes…" Immersten echoed, following. He frowned at the unheard news. "They've breached the wall in the south-west corner…"  
"The Mages' Guild took down one battery, but they couldn't manage both," Arden added.  
"I must go!" Immersten announced, and sprinted away in search of a horse.

"What now, Arden?" Eldarion asked.  
"The Shining Axes are defending the breach, and holding them back for now…" she explained. She paused, listening to more.  
"Sellyria, can you handle it?" she asked aloud, and then grimaced, presumably at the response inside her head. "Fine…" she added, before turning back to them all. "Mount up; we're wanted behind the Dwarfs."

O-O-O

She had feared that they'd be given this sort of task. The Red Dragon, Abiathrax, was causing havoc behind the Dwarfs' line, setting parts of the city alight and thinning out their numbers far too easily. Sellyria and her mounted archers had their hands full already and needed help. She explained the plan to the rest as they headed for Cathedral Square where Sellyria would meet them. This was also the location of the stockpile of potions and scrolls that Brindol had pulled together. They'd be needing all the help that they could get.

"What was Mother's plan?" Eldarion asked.  
"They couldn't deal with the Dragon themselves," Arden replied, "but she could spare an owl for each of us: we need to get up there and engage it ourselves." She was impressed with everyone's reaction: she'd expected more concern, but everyone accepted that this was what they were doing next. She contrasted that to her own thoughts, and suddenly felt quite cowardly.

"We'll want fire resistance for a Red Dragon," Taldir declared as they reached the stockpile, and began searching through scrolls and potions, Gravak joining him.  
"Half a dozen potions of _Fly_ here," Gravak announced, passing a small crate over.  
"That'd be a good back up…" Boshley decided, taking one for himself. "I'm not sure I'll fight very well from Owl-back." Buttercup, Taldir and Gravak all took one, and she had one herself too. Eldarion declined, stating that he'd be firing on the Dragon from the ground.

"This spell!" Taldir shouted gleefully. "Immersten… I owe you a drink…"  
"What is it?" Elantar asked.  
" _Antidragon Aura_ ," he answered, waving a scroll at her. "It'll help to protect us against a Dragon's attacks…"

"Is there anything that'll protect against a fall?" the Rogue asked.  
" _Featherfall_?" Arden suggested.  
"Yes…" Taldir responded. "Try in there," he added, pointing to another box labelled 'miscellaneous.' She routed around for a few seconds before she found a potion containing the spell, and threw it lightly to Elantar.  
"Not planning on falling off, are you?" she asked with a grin.  
"Not planning to… no," she answered, and pocketed the vial.

"Ready?" Sellyria called, panic evident in her voice. She was breathless, and had sprinted across from the opposite corner of the square, where the Owls awaited them.

"Six… Seven," Gravak counted. "Scrolls of Fire Resistance," he explained. "I'll begin casting them on the way across."  
"Give me half," Sellyria offered. She cast the protective spell on Taldir, Boshley and Eldarion on the way to the Owls, Gravak taking care of all the others, including Arden herself.

"These Owls will carry you fearlessly, as long as you give them no reason to panic!" the Elf commander bellowed to them as they arrived. It was Killiar Arrowswift, who they had met in Starsong Hill. That wasn't all that she knew of him now though.

"It had to be him, didn't it..." Arden whispered aside to Eldarion.  
"Forget it… for now," he responded, and moved forward to embrace his old friend.

Elantar took to controlling her Owl particularly well, Arden got the hang of it quickly too. Boshley, despite his initial concerns, soon found himself able to ride the huge bird very effectively. Gravak and Buttercup were having less joy, and were simply being flown where their Owls wanted them to go. Eldarion did his best to instruct them; being an Elf of Starsong Hill, he had previous experience of this form of combat. It was almost a waste of his abilities to have him fighting from the ground, but he insisted that he'd be more effective in that way. He'd dismount on a rooftop somewhere in bow range when they reached the Dragon.

" _Arden; you're needed… Now!"_ It was Immersten on the mind-link.  
"Where?" she replied. "We can leave right away!"  
" _Above the temple of Wee Jas_ ," he ordered.

"Let's go!" she called to everyone, and took out her flute to play them into battle.

O-O-O

Their Owls carried them with great speed towards Abiathrax; they could see the flames clearly from hundreds of feet away though. Flying into the wind, the smoke reached them, causing them to choke. But it also gave them cover, and Elantar drew her cloak up around her mouth, and ploughed through.

As they drew nearer, she got a clear view of the enemy for the first time. Abiathrax was far larger than either of the dragons they had faced so far, and his lethal flames were laying waste to a large section of the city. The second line had all but burned away, leaving the Shining Axes with nowhere to fall back to. The Dwarfs themselves were fighting impressively though: they had effectively plugged the gap in the wall, and it looked as if no Hobgoblin had yet set foot inside the city's perimeter.

Abiathrax circled, looking to swoop back over the rear of the Dwarf line again. Eldarion, flying ahead of her, had dismounted and lined up a shot; his arrow flew true, striking the Dragon's wing and diverting his attention. Elantar became suddenly aware of the Dragon's anatomy; as if all of its most dangerous moves were highlighted. She guessed that this was an effect of the spell that Taldir had been so excited to find on a scroll. Elantar continued to approach, planning her route of attack carefully.

Taldir swooped high and chanted, gesturing towards the Dragon. Buttercup and Boshley both overtook him, and split to each take a flank. They both struck their weapons against Abiathrax's side, causing him to roar with pain, before flying past and behind the enemy. Arden added her shots to Eldarion's as the Dragon twisted in the air, he dived after Buttercup, bathing her in flame; she managed to leap aside to avoid the worst of it, but her Owl plummeted: a charred corpse. Buttercup began to fall, but managed to snap a bottle to her lips, halting her descent after a few seconds, and flying under the potion's effect instead.

Boshley turned to line up another fly-by attack. Elantar admired his lance strike, but knew that a similar trick wouldn't work for her. There was only one way she was going to engage in this fight.

O-O-O

Taldir pondered his prepared spells, as Gravak cast one of his own. He was too far away to really see its effects, but trusted that the Cleric knew what he was doing. He decided upon a _Web_ spell: if he could immobilise the Dragon, the fight would be over fairly quickly. It had worked twice previously, after all.

Elantar was the only one of them who had yet to engage the Dragon; she had taken a far more cautious approach and was only now approaching it while it began to chase down the Gnome. He drew closer to the Dragon, and began to make the hand gestures necessary for his spell. He stopped short at what happened next.

"No…" he breathed. It defied belief. She was courageous, yes… But also incredibly foolish.

O-O-O

She gasped. There was no other way to react. Arden had been about to loose another shot, but found herself unable to do so… Elantar had leapt through the air, probably thirty or forty feet, and landed on the Dragon's back where she began to swing her swords repeatedly into his neck. It roared with pain and frustration, trying to swing his jaws around to bite at her, but found his neck too long. She had chosen just the spot where he couldn't reach, and grinned triumphantly as she continued to poke between his scales. Abiathrax twisted violently, trying to throw the Elf off his back instead, but Elantar showed incredible balance, and stayed upright.

Taldir swooped past and called to Elantar. He covered the Dragon in webs, but she had reacted to his words and taken shelter behind a wing, avoiding being caught up herself. Abiathrax lost all movement in his wings and began to plummet. Arden finally fired her shot, adding to the Dragon's misery.

O-O-O

Eldarion took aim, and fired three shots in quick succession, sticking one into its flank as the others bounced from armoured scales. The Dragon was plummeting straight for his rooftop though, and he leapt aside just as it crashed down, obliterating most of the house that he'd previously been standing on.

Buttercup descended at speed, swinging her sword in a deadly ark and cutting clean through the Dragon's wing, sending it clattering to the ground. Elantar was still on his back, continuously stabbing swords into his neck. She was probably causing more frustration than pain though. Abiathrax threw his head around to bite at her, missing as his jaws snapped, but leaving his maw exposed. Eldarion had been waiting for just such a moment, and unleashed two arrows simultaneously and landing them deep into the Dragon's mouth. His shots turned out to be fatal, as Abiathrax slumped forwards, rolling down the remains of the building and onto the ground with Buttercup and Elantar leaping clear as he did so.

"On me!" Arden called as she landed, and everyone gathered to her. "We need to help put out some of these fires…" she announced.

O-O-O

Gravak sprinted into the street where several townsfolk were attempting to douse a burning home. They were well organised, and were moving buckets of water quickly, but it wasn't enough.

"Stop!" he called, and quickly created several gallons of water just above the house, extinguishing it in seconds. The locals cheered, and willed him on to do it again, but he knew that he couldn't cast that spell again today, and told them so.

"Follow me," he ordered them instead, and directed them to first contain, and then begin to extinguish the flames.

Over the next half an hour or so they beat back the blaze, containing the conflagration to fewer and fewer buildings. As the last of the flames died away, construction teams moved forward to begin repairing the barricades that had been burned away around Kerden Street. Gravak took in the road's name for the first time, noting that it had probably been named after the Mayor.

"Jarmaath's down!" Arden called to them all.


	29. Chapter 29

*** XXIX ***

He'd gone, very suddenly, quiet on the mind-link, and she'd had to wait a couple of minutes for Sellyria to find out what had happened.

"His guards are under attack…" Arden relayed to the others. "The Mayor and one other are down in the centre of Cathedral Square, but no one can get to him. They're under fire from an unseen enemy and pinned down!"

They hijacked some horses from some passing men and galloped for the square, where a familiar soldier met them.

"Elric!" Boshley called as he dismounted, taking the shaken guard's hand.  
"The Commander is down," he relayed to them. "We think there's a sniper across the square; we can't get near him…"  
"We know," she answered sympathetically. "It's okay…"

She surveyed the square. Jarmaath's body was not moving; another guard lay still next to him too. About half a dozen or more guards were scattered around the edges of the square, sheltering in doorways and alcoves, all of them pointing towards the buildings at the far end, but all in slightly different directions.

"Ideas?" she asked aloud. Eldarion and Elantar both began to climb onto rooftops, one either side of the alleyway where they waited. Buttercup drank from a bottle.

"Watch tha windas!" she called, and took off, flying directly towards the Mayor. Boshley began to make his way across the square, but was making slow progress without his trusty mount. Buttercup successfully drew fire from the unseen assailant, but a little too well, as it turned out.

"Two up, three over from the right!" Eldarion called, preparing his bow to shoot at anything that moved in the windows again.

Buttercup returned a few seconds later with Jarmaath's body. She was in trouble though, and yanked a crossbow bolt from her thigh.

"Poysin…" she gasped as she collapsed, and Gravak stepped forward to investigate. Arden readied her bow, sighted towards the windows that Eldarion had called out, and began to slowly follow Boshley's advance.

O-O-O

He watched for further movement, but nothing came.

A black shape had leant forward to fire at Buttercup as she flew to retrieve Jarmaath; its features were similar to the creatures that had ambushed them at the farmhouse on their return journey from the Thornwaste.

"Come on…" he whispered, an arrow poised. Elantar was sprinting forwards along the rooftops of the left-hand side of the square, and the enemy had spotted her, levelling a crossbow in her direction. Instinctively, he took his shot, and was convinced that he'd hit.

O-O-O

"Miss!" Elantar gloated as a crossbow bolt clattered into the tiles behind her. The sniper had been struck by a distant arrow as it pulled the trigger and vanished from its position in the window; it didn't step back from the window, it actually just disappeared…

She rounded the corner, now on the same side of the square as their enemy: there wouldn't be any more shots coming in her direction. There were cries from an alleyway on the other side of the buildings; human voices involved in a skirmish with someone. She didn't have time to check on them yet; they'd have to wait. She counted chimneys until she reached the building where the sniper waited. Elantar stopped and peered over the edge.

O-O-O

He'd successfully drawn the poison from Buttercup's body, and turned his attention to Jarmaath. He suspected poison here too, and quickly cast an Orison to confirm this.

"Jarmaath's alive!" he called and gestured to two of the men sheltering in the nearest doorway, beckoning them over. Arden was following Boshley across the open square, while Buttercup flew towards the open window that Eldarion had been aiming at. Gravak gripped his symbol of Tontor, stood, pointed at the window and bellowed.

O-O-O

Elantar swung down from the roof and through the open window. The last thing she expected to see was Gravak standing in the centre of the small room.

"Where is it?" she asked him.  
"I don't know…" he answered. "Wrong room?" She made for the door.  
"Locked…" she whispered aloud. There was no way he'd have had time to leave the room and lock the door behind him. A gasp from Gravak broke her train of thought. She snapped her head around to see the enemy complete its swing and then vanish once again. Gravak reeled from the blow. This was going to be tricky…

"Stand still…" Gravak suggested, and took down his mace. He swung at the air and hit nothing. Elantar closed her eyes, remembering her fight with Koth in Vraath Keep. She couldn't see anything then either, and still counted that one as a win. Whatever it was that stalked them here though, it moved with far more stealth.

" _There_ …" she thought, and thrust a sword forwards and to her left, but hit nothing.

Buttercup clambered into the window from outside, and floated down to the floor, with Taldir also flying across the square behind her.

"He's somewhere in this room…" Gravak told her, stomping forwards with his mace raised. It suddenly appeared, striking Gravak in his side where his armour took the brunt of the blow, and then disappeared again as Buttercup swung her sword, hitting only air. It revealed itself again a couple of seconds later, aiming a swing of its Falchion at Buttercup, but was shot in the chest by an arrow through the window. It growled and once again turned invisible.

O-O-O

"What's going on up there?" Boshley called. The Wizard looked down to him.  
"I can't really see…" he replied, attempting to manoeuvre himself into a better position. "Elantar and the Orcs have it cornered in a room, but I can't see it still…"

Boshley kicked in the door on the ground floor, Arden and Dog following him in.

"A funeral parlour…" Arden chuckled. "Good business to be in about now…" she added humourlessly. There were cries from the rear of the building.  
"Someone out back…" Boshley decided. He weaved his way between the coffins, Eldarion's hound following him. He opened the rear door to find eight men sheltering in the alleyway from a volley of bow fire that had come from the windows above him. They each returned fire with light crossbows.

"In here!" he called, the nearest turned towards him in surprise, and bellowed for the rest to follow him.

"Never thought we'd make it in!" the first said gruffly to him as he reached the door. "Let's get 'em lads!" The eight raised a cheer and set off up the staircase.

O-O-O

Had the other three cleared out of the room, he could have filled it with fire and been done with it. Instead, they insisted on staying, trying to land a blow on an enemy who could repeatedly turn invisible: it was an impressive power…

He floated down to the floor below and peered into the window; five Goblins stood on the far side, peering out of windows of their own. They were just lowering their bows and equipping swords instead, reforming to face the single door into the room they occupied.

The door crashed open, and Taldir was surprised to see a string of men charge into the room armed with a with a mixture of swords, clubs and axes. He covered the Goblins and the far end of the room in webs to aid the men of Brindol in their fight.

O-O-O

Eldarion watched the combat unfolding at the far side of the square. He was growing frustrated, but was convinced he could take down the enemy assassin from here. He'd already managed to land two arrows in it as it reappeared to attack.

He loosed his bow once more as it reappeared directly behind Buttercup, this time sticking him in the head.

"Try vanishing now!" he mocked, and prepared to climb down to join the others.

O-O-O

Eldarion had probably just saved Buttercup's life: the enemy's Falchion blow had been about to rip her spine out.

Now their enemy was dead, they finally had a clear view of him: it did look very similar to the creatures who'd ambushed them about a week earlier. Blackspawn Raiders, Taldir had called them.

"Let's get downstairs," Gravak suggested. Buttercup took the quickest path, flying back out of the window, and presumably in through the one below. Elantar reached for her lock picks and knelt at the keyhole.

"No time…" Gravak growled, pulling her aside. He crashed a heavy boot through the door, kicking out the remaining shattered timber to clear the way.

By the time they had made it downstairs, the Goblins had all been killed. Eight men stood among their companions, and Buttercup was staring one of them down with fury.

"Dat sorrd!" she bellowed?  
"This?" he asked, showing the longsword that he carried. He didn't flinch from her gaze: he was probably a man not to be trifled with, but Elantar's money would still have been on Buttercup.

"Yoo stowl it…" she growled.  
"I won it…" he retorted, with a smirk. Buttercup balled her fists and lunged at him, finding his seven companions stepping forward to grapple her.

"Enough!" Arden insisted. "What's going on?" she asked, mainly aiming her question at the Barbarian.  
"'E killd a frend o' mine an' nickt 'is sorrd…" Buttercup announced, pointing out the leader of the men. He simply shrugged in response.  
"I killed a rival gang leader and took this sword as a trophy," he insisted. "You were an ally of the Jade Lotus?" he asked.  
"Da wot?" Buttercup asked with confusion. There must have been more going on here… Elantar couldn't imagine that Buttercup would have got involved in a local gang.

"Look… I don't know how Kreig managed to get his hands on this…" he continued. "Perhaps _he_ killed this friend of yours?"  
"The Jade Lotus…" Arden began. "They're a gang?"  
" _Were_ …" one of the men responded, to much laughter.  
"Our old rivals…" the leader spoke up. "We're the Crimson Tigers, and we're running things now…"  
"Is that so…" Arden answered, a hint of a threat in her statement.

"Well…" he replied, "there is the matter of all these Goblins to deal with first. Want to give us a hand? We can see you set up pretty well once this is all over."  
"We're probably fine as we are…" Arden smirked. "We're pretty tight with Jarmaath; how about you give _us_ a hand, and we'll let him know how helpful you've been in defence of your home?" There were a few smiles at this initially, but the Crimson Tigers slowly realised that they were outmatched, and eventually agreed.

Elantar returned to the attic room to retrieve the sniper's equipment; she was mostly interested in the poison that he was using, and got Taldir to have a look and identify it.

"Good thinking…" the Wizard responded once they were back in the square. "It'll help us work out what's wrong with Jarmaath…"  
"That wasn't really…" she began before hesitating. "Never mind…" she finished weakly.

Taldir figured out that Jarmaath had been infected with some Drow poison, which had knocked him unconscious. There had been three more bottles of this in the assassin's belt pouch, along with another that he called Purple Worm Venom, which Buttercup had earlier suffered the effects of, and a vial of Saisson Leaf Residue. Elantar took these, and considered using them at the earliest opportunity. Buttercup took his crossbow and ammunition: she did not have a ranged weapon to fight with after giving her bow away to a civilian. Elantar also claimed a couple of potions of Invisibility from him: she was pretty sure that he hadn't been drinking these to hide from sight, so was a little bemused as to why he had them.

" _Remove Poison_ …" Gravak announced as he returned from the stockpile with a scroll. He cast the spell on the Mayor, who sat up groggily. He made his gratefulness clear, Elric and the other guards doing likewise.

"Breach!" Arden suddenly called.  
"Yes…" added Jarmaath immediately afterwards, taking to his feet again. "Sellyria, Immersten… I'm with Arden now," he declared. "We're not far away, and moving to intercept."


	30. Chapter 30

*** XXX ***

"What's happening, my lord?" Elric asked as they jogged down the hill towards the defence line.

"The Red Hand have breached the outer wall," he responded. "The Shining Axes and the Lions have had to fall back to the inner defence line, but there's a weak part in the barricades where the Dragon attacked earlier on. We're going to bolster the defence there." It was nicely summed up: Arden couldn't have put it any better.

Along with her usual companions, and Jarmaath and Elric, there were also four other Lions of Brindol and the eight Crimson Tigers that they had met in the Funeral Parlour. She'd convinced Buttercup to hold off on any further questioning as to the Blacksmith's fate until the invasion was repelled. Ornold, the gang leader, was casting repeated glances in her direction. She sort of hoped for his sake that he hadn't made an enemy of the Barbarian.

The Lions reached the barricade first, and climbed up ready to repel what enemy approached. Taldir cast a flight spell on himself, and ascended onto the rooftops on their left. Eldarion climbed up to join him, while Elantar climbed up to the same height on the opposite side of the road. It was a wide street, but bordered by three-storey buildings on both sides, making Arden feel like they were fighting in the bottom of a gully. From Sellyria's reports of what was coming, the road ahead of her would be filled with invading bodies that they would need to kill. It was going to be carnage.

She joined Boshley, Gravak, Buttercup and Jarmaath on the barricade to await the enemy.

"Where do you want us?" Ornold asked from below. Jarmaath appraised them.  
"Get up to those windows," he ordered, "four either side. Put your crossbows to use, and catch as many as you can in a crossfire. If you run out of bolts, come back and reinforce the line." The Crimson Tigers dispersed into the buildings.

"Incoming!" Eldarion called from above. All she could really see at this distance was a dark tide of bodies closing with them.  
"Javelins!" Jarmaath called, his men reaching for the throwing weapons. "Wait for range, then let them have it!" he ordered. "You men!" he called to some civilians behind them. "Get yourself to Cathedral Square, bring back as many scrolls and potions of healing as you can carry. Give them all to the Bard and the half-Orc Cleric!"  
"Yes sir!" one of them called in response.  
"Scrolls of Fireball too!" Taldir demanded. They looked to Jarmaath for confirmation.  
"Like he says…" the Mayor responded. "Go!" They fled to carry out his orders. "We're going to need all the magical support you can give us Arden…" he said sadly. "Healing especially." She didn't doubt it. For now though, she played an uplifting tune on her flute, raising her allies' courage.

"I have range!" Eldarion announced, and began to fire on the approaching tide of Hobgoblins. He was the only one who could shoot at that distance though, and his few arrows were making little difference. The packed enemy made it almost impossible to miss, however; not that accuracy was usually a concern for the Ranger. Arden stopped playing and joined him as they reached shortbow range, and Buttercup too with the crossbow they had looted from the Sniper.

Amongst the hundreds of Hobgoblin soldiers surging towards them, half a dozen stood out: they were larger built than the rest and carrying huge maces: they had fought similar enemies at the Stone Lion in the Thornwaste, and these particular enemies had packed a real punch.

"Target the Warbrutes!" Jarmaath ordered. Arden agreed with the priority target. Taldir did too, as he dropped a fireball among them. The enemy were so densely packed that he may have killed as many as twenty of them with one spell, including four of the Warbrutes. He was right to ask for more of those…

O-O-O

Elantar flung a flask of acid into the crowd below, knowing that she'd hit something. The press of bodies made it hard to determine who, or how badly though. She felt a little useless up here, but knew that she wasn't at all suited to fighting on the front line. The heavily armoured Lions of Brindol, Boshley and Jarmaath were perfectly suited to that style of fighting however, and would probably hold the line perfectly well on their own. There was little space for anyone else to stand alongside them in any case.

She surveyed the scene: ranged attacks were picking off Hobgoblins, but there were so many that the dead bodies were swallowed up in the crowd and not noticed. There was no stopping this charge, and it eventually reached the barrier, the nearest Hobgoblins thrusting spears forward in anger.

Jarmaath had boasted of his Lions and their fighting prowess since the day they'd met him. Elantar was pleased to see that they lived up to their billing and cut down the first rank with Boshley and Gravak's help. As expected, more pushed forward to plug the gaps in the enemy line. It was going to be a long night.

Sudden movement on the rooftops across the street caught her eye. Five hooded and cloaked Goblins stalked forwards, each wielding a pair of daggers. She was about to call warning to Eldarion when she saw him alter his aim and shoot the first of them down. She checked the rooftops on her own side of the street and saw another five heading towards her: she had been spotted, and stood alone. Elantar downed an invisibility potion and prepared an ambush of her own.

O-O-O

Elantar had vanished, but Buttercup knew that she was exposed, fighting alone on the roof. She reached for one of the bottles of funny coloured water that made her fly and drank the whole thing in two gulps. She enjoyed the sensation of air under her boots, and grinned as she shot upwards to stand next to where she'd last seen the Elf.

"Elintarr?" she whispered aloud as the Goblins cautiously approached. They had paused for a couple of seconds as Buttercup landed, but had slowly resumed their advance, spreading out to attempt to surround her. Buttercup lunged suddenly sideways, catching the first Goblin out with her turn of pace and hacking it in two with her sword. The next closest one yelped as it saw a preview of its fate, and lived only seconds longer as Buttercup cut it down with another swing.

Elantar suddenly emerged, striking at another Goblin, but not managing to land a killing blow. Buttercup ran through a third, before a forth dropped, shot in the back from across the street. Four of the nasty men they'd met in the square were leaning out of open windows firing crossbows onto the rooftops. She saw one on the other side of the road suffer a similar fate, and guessed that there must have been more of the men in the buildings beneath them.

Elantar finished off the last one on their side and nodded thanks to her. She then disappeared over the edge of the roof; Buttercup quickly followed her, peering over the edge to see her smashing and then climbing into a window.

Eldarion and Taldir killed off the final Goblin on the other roof: they had managed to shoot all of them down with their bows. Buttercup noticed a huge barrel of water behind the barricade, and flew down to collect it. It was heavy, but no match for her strength. She grinned at her brilliant idea.

Buttercup flew across the enemy, looking for someone dangerous to drop her improvised weapon on. "Wizzuds…" she noticed. Two were pushing their way forwards through the enemy.

A massive ball of fire landed right in the middle of the invaders, flattening loads of them. The enemy Wizards stopped short, relieved to have got away with it. One of them looked up at her.

" _Don't you think it would be easier to kill the enemy by standing in the middle of them_?" a voice suddenly asked her. She didn't know where it came from, but it was right: she was excellent with a sword and couldn't reach them from here.

She dropped the water butt, and plummeted, touching down amongst the charred bodies in the space that Taldir had cleared with his Fireball. She raised her sword and bellowed a challenge.

O-O-O

"What is she doing?!" Boshley bellowed with panic. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Buttercup easily cut down the first couple of Hobgoblins who rushed her, but was now swamped, somewhere in the middle of the enemy advance.

"Target the Mindbenders!" Jarmaath called, as if this meant something.  
"On it…" Eldarion responded from above.  
"Same here!" Arden called from behind him. All Boshley could really do was continue to hack at the Hobgoblins climbing up the barricade to attack him. He thrust left, removing an enemy head, and then right, cutting one across the chest who fell into the crowd. A spear struck his shield and snapped, and Boshley swung at the assailant, cutting that one down too. Jarmaath stood behind him, fighting over his head with a longspear that he'd picked up from a fallen enemy.

"We have to get forward to her!" he called to the Mayor.  
"Right!" Jarmaath responded decisively. "Shield wall!" he bellowed. "Push forward!" The Lions locked shields and pushed on, knocking a number of Hobgoblins from their feet before running them through with swords. Jarmaath discarded his spear and took up his hereditary sword and a shield of his own. Boshley and Gravak joined them with their own shields and helped with the push forward.

"Hold on Buttercup…" he willed.


	31. Chapter 31

***Author's Notes***

Apologies for slowing down; there will be more slowness to come though, as I have just returned to studies (alongside full-time work). I am blogging about my course on Tumblr (as gsc13-le) for those interested in technology and education! I do plan to finish this story off; uploads will be less frequent though.

 *** XXXI ***

Gravak stumbled as the enemy pushed back, but quickly recovered, thrusting forward with his shield and knocking his assailant from its feet. A spear jabbed at him over the shoulder of the enemy directly to his front, but missed, slightly to the right of his ear. He pushed on, swinging his mace and caving in the Hobgoblin's chest.

Buttercup was nowhere to be seen; she was somewhere amongst the press of bodies still several yards ahead of their advancing line. Boshley stood on his right, barely reaching Gravak's waist, but standing just as firm as the half-Orc, the men of Brindol who stood on his far side, and his Dire Badger who was also supporting the push forward.

Two Lions of Brindol suddenly dropped their swords and clutched at their eyes. Boaz roared with panic and fell back behind the Cleric, and Boshley froze, holding his shield firm. The four of them and much of the surrounding area were covered in flecks of something golden.

"Glitterdust!" Arden called in explanation. Gravak recognised some of the effects of the spell from when the Bard had cast it herself; he knew also that it often resulted in temporary loss of vision for its victims. The line was beginning to collapse.

"Boshley!" Gravak called. "Keep going, and keep your shield high!" Jarmaath and the other Lions closed ranks, plugging the weak point in the line, and they continued on. Arden took up a spear and fought through the shield wall, thrusting forward to aid in taking down the enemy. They stepped onto and over fallen Hobgoblins, needing to concentrate to keep their balance. Boshley continued swinging his sword forwards; such was the volume of targets that, despite not being able to see the enemy, he was still striking one with every thrust.

O-O-O

"That spell…" Eldarion pondered aloud. "It wouldn't have been Arden, would it?"  
"It'd hope not…" Taldir answered, loosing a shot into the press of bodies and beginning to scan the enemy. The Bard had _Glitterdust_ in her repertoire, but was neither incompetent nor treacherous enough to cast it on her allies.

"There…" he stated, pointing out two enemy. "Fifteen feet ahead of Buttercup." The two Red Hand spell casters were making unmistakable hand gestures; they were surely the cause of the disruption. Eldarion wasted no time at all in shooting the first of them down.

"What is Buttercup doing?" the Ranger asked.  
"You're surprised she pulled off something so stupid?" he retorted.

O-O-O

Three or four Hobgoblins fell away from the crowd with horrific wounds, Buttercup's sword spraying crimson as it was spun about her head. She put her shoulder into another, knocking it sprawling, and was briefly visible again. She cut down another, and another with her next step forward. Buttercup was closing with the enemy Wizards, or whatever they were. And then, she wasn't.

Elantar had sprinted along the roof, and arrived level with the two robed Hobgoblins, just as one sagged with an arrow in its throat. Buttercup was still; not moving, but looking furious and frustrated, as if every fibre in her body was straining against invisible shackles. The enemy Wizard laughed, Elantar responding with shuriken, but at this distance, she only scattered it into the street. Her target was far closer to the roof on the opposite side of the road, however.

She took another throwing star, and dipped it into one of the bottles of poison that she'd lifted from the Sniper of Cathedral Square, coating four of the five blades in the purple liquid. It was about thirty feet to the other side of the street; she'd need a couple of steps as a run-up*.

O-O-O

Buttercup tried to move again, but found that she could move nothing but her eyes. One of the enemy Wizards was laughing at her despite the other one being shot down.

A shadow moved across her. Buttercup managed to glance up to see Elantar flying through the air, from one roof to the other. She was dropping short though; the roof on the left hand side was just out of her reach, but the window ledge just below wasn't. She grasped onto it before turning quickly and throwing something into the neck of the Wizard just in front of her. It looked quite a minor wound, but the Hobgoblin was in some serious trouble, and was struggling to stand.

Buttercup felt fury build within her. She was used to this, and over the past few months had learned to harness this extra anger. The bonds that had held her seemed to fall away, and she regained motion. The Hobgoblins who had closed with her were suddenly panicked into retreat, and the Wizard looked most scared of all.

O-O-O

"She's moving again!" Taldir exclaimed. Eldarion spotted that the Barbarian had regained mobility already, and hissed for silence instead. The Wizard had spoiled his aim.

He lined up his shot again, and this time took it – the enemy caster was an easy target, almost lit up in his red robes, and the arrow buried itself deep in his chest. It looked like Elantar, after showing off and jumping across the full width of the street, had hit it with a poisoned shuriken. It was almost unfortunate that they wouldn't see the full effects of the substance.

"Forward!" Gravak continued to bellow from below. He was repeating the command unnecessarily every few seconds. The line was making continuous but slow progress, and was still a long way from Buttercup. Eldarion tried his best to thin the numbers around her, but she was being gradually overwhelmed. It was like watching an animal undergo a leisurely death.

Gravak smashed in the skull of one enemy with his mace, and a second with a bash from his shield to clear some space ahead of him. He stepped forward, expelling a cloud of gas from his mouth that induced vomiting from a large number of enemies, putting them, for now, out of the fight.

O-O-O

"What's happening?" he asked.  
"We have some space to the left," Gravak answered. Boshley felt a tug on his shield. "Follow me," the Cleric added, leading him forwards.

He wouldn't have minded admitting it, if anyone had time for a quick chat, but Boshley was scared. Here he was, holding the line against an overwhelming enemy assault, and he couldn't see a thing. His only comfort was that Gravak could be trusted completely, and he stepped forward. Almost immediately, he stumbled against a prone enemy. It was still moving. He chopped down with his sword until it stopped, and Gravak continued leading him onward. There was a very familiar, yet completely unwelcome stench in the air.

"How are they vomiting so much?" a voice asked from his right. He was pretty sure it was the Mayor.  
"It matters not," another voice answered. "Forward!" it added. No; _that_ was Jarmaath.

O-O-O

This spear that she held was longer and more unwieldy than her rapier, but the concept was pretty much the same: put the sharp bit into the enemy.

She punctured the chest armour of one who was swinging at Jarmaath, stopping it in its tracks, before a spear from somewhere else pierced the Mayor's side. He winced and sagged; he'd dropped his guard slightly, and allowed a blow in past his shield. Arden sang gently, touching a hand to his shoulder and saw him reinvigorated. She was starting to feel quite tired, and knew that she wouldn't be able to heal much more today: they'd need the runners to return with scrolls and potions soon, or they'd all be ground down by numbers, time and exhaustion.

Jarmaath had a renewed spirit, however, and leapt forward, carving down three of the enemy with one swing of his elaborately decorated sword. It was more than just a pretty object to adorn a cabinet in his chambers after all. A number of other Hobgoblins were shaken at the destruction that the Mayor wrought, and tried to back away from him. With the press of the enemy advance, however, this was an almost impossible task, and he continued to cut down any Hobgoblin in front of him.

"Something new coming!" came a call from the rooftop.

O-O-O

The tide of Hobgoblins was relentless, but Eldarion had spotted a new danger in something different.

"What is it?" Taldir asked. He could just make out some quickly-moving white shapes scattering the crowds before them, but had no idea what could be approaching. He decided to ready a Fireball in any case. It was the last one that he had prepared for today: the runners had better return quickly.  
"Not sure…" the Ranger shrugged. He sighted his bow and waited a few more seconds.

Someone amongst the enemy bellowed an order. Taldir knew all of the Goblin words that he was hearing, but had never heard them together like this before, and the order made no sense to him. In response, the advancing Hobgoblins froze, several dozen of them rotating or lifting their shields. Within a few seconds, they had formed what looked like a ramp, with the low end of the slope facing towards the enemy, and a solid shield wall only a few feet ahead of where Buttercup was desperately fighting to survive.

"Bugbears!" Eldarion called, and quickly fired three arrows at the closest of the white blurs, stopping it in its tracks. Seven more followed it though, and they sprinted up the improvised launch ramp and leapt at the Brindol line, two of them dropping short and heading straight at the beleaguered Barbarian.

O-O-O

"Buttercup! Get out of there!" she called. Arden felt helpless; all she could do was shout at her. But Buttercup wouldn't listen.

"She's…" Jarmaath began, before pausing to take off the head of another Hobgoblin. "I think she's under some spell…" another pause, another sword swing. "They tried it on me too…" _Swing_. "Tried to get me to stand in the middle…" _Stab._ " The middle of the road…"

"Taldir!" she screeched, waving her arms at the Wizard. He snapped around with an angry glance. "Dispel Buttercup!" she called " _Suggestion_!" she added, trusting that this would communicate enough.

O-O-O

She was beginning to hurt. One Hobgoblin was no match for her, but the twenty or thirty she'd cut down over the past minute or so were beginning to take their toll. They hadn't all gone down without a fight.

Something large, white and hairy leapt on her, arcing a huge club into her chest that sent her reeling. She lay prone, with several cracked ribs. This was where the fight was though: this is where the friendly voice had told her to stand. She needed to get back on her feet.

She struggled to stand: she was injured. Badly. But this was where she had to be.

Or was it?

It suddenly wasn't such a good idea: she was surrounded by advancing spear points, and two of the big white things with massive clubs. She floated for a second or two before realising that she could still fly. She launched herself directly up and into the air. Grateful for the _Healing Belt_ that she was wearing, she exhausted its charges to reinvigorate herself.

O-O-O

She'd neither encountered nor heard of white-furred Bugbears before. It took a few seconds of careful observation to explain this: they had dyed or painted their fur themselves, and here and there, patches of brown black and grey were poking through.

Jarmaath reeled from a particularly vicious club swing, and lay sprawled beneath Arden. He groaned with pain as he tried to shift himself back to his feet, and slumped back again. Arden used what she believed to be the last of her healing spells to get him back into the fight, and was now helpless to aid Elric, the Lion of Brindol, who had just suffered a similar blow. He lay still, and was barely alive.

"Yes!" came a sudden call from Boshley, who began to fight with renewed vigour, and, it had to be said, a lot more ability than she'd recently been witness to. "Not so easy now I can see you, is it!?" he taunted. The two Lions who had also lost their vision now sprang back to the line too, and fought alongside the Gnome.

The Crimson Tigers must have been running low on crossbow bolts by now; they had been keeping up a steady rhythm of shots, trying to whittle down the invaders. They, like everyone else, switched their attention to the Bugbear Berserkers who were the biggest threat. Two more fell from these shots, plus those of Eldarion from the rooftop and the sword thrusts of their shield wall.

Elantar suddenly appeared, dropping head-first from Eldarion and Taldir's roof and aiming at the nearest Bugbear with her pair of swords. Both sunk deep into its shoulders and it howled with agony, as she twisted and lowered herself to the ground, all of her weight resting on her weapons for a couple of seconds. The Bugbear fell, very dead, beneath her surprise attack. She dodged a swing from another Bugbear's club and spun away from spear thrusts, falling into the line beside Gravak where she began to parry the enemies' attacks with her swords.

Buttercup reached the line too, landing to their rear; she was breathing heavily and bleeding from dozens of cuts. She looked pleadingly at Arden; she needed help, but the Bard was unable to heal her. It wasn't an easy thing to communicate.

"Miss Arden!" a young boy called, sprinting forward with a large sack, which he dropped before her. He paused, and leant over, taking deep breaths with his hands resting on his thighs. "Healing… scrolls…" he explained between gasps.

 **Author's Notes, Supplemental:**

* In reality, Elantar didn't bother with a run up for her jump: she has the _Wall Jumper_ skill trick (Complete Scoundrel p90), which means she counts as having taken a run up when jumping from the top of a wall (which the DM allowed me to count in this instance, even though it was technically a rooftop). She'd managed to get together a pretty massive Jump bonus by this stage too (I think it was at around +19 or 20 – we were level 9 and she also had the _Agile Athlete_ feat (Races of the Wild p148) with a Dex bonus of +5), and I wanted to put that to use. The epic leap moment was probably my favourite part of both this encounter, and also the one with the Dragon a couple of chapters earlier.


	32. Chapter 32

*** XXXII ***

Arden snatched up the closest scroll and touched a hand to Buttercup's shoulder, seeing a visible change in the Barbarian as the magic coursed through her. Buttercup returned her attention to the fight as Arden looked to Elric.

"How is he?" Boshley called, mid-swing. Arden removed her glove and held it in front of his face. There was no warm air, and his flesh was draining of colour.

"He's dead…" she replied sadly. Arden took up a fallen spear, and resumed fighting, looking for gaps in the line that she could reach through.

O-O-O

Buttercup felt strong again, and used the flight spell that was still active to float around the enemy, striking down all that she could.

After another minute or so, an imposing figure came into view: a largely built Hobgoblin in crimson plate armour, sat astride a Greenspawn Razorfiend. A pair of Clerics flanked him, along with two hill Giants, much like the ones that were throwing rocks at the walls, each swinging a large club as they strode forward. The enemy foot soldiers parted to let this new group through. There was only one person that this could be.

"Da Kommanda!" she bellowed. She'd strike him down herself.

O-O-O

Buttercup had only just reached the relative safety of the line seconds before, and already she was hurtling headlong back into danger, sword raised to hack at the Wyrmlord that was closing with them. Boshley cut down another lunging Hobgoblin, and cried out in disbelief.

"Boaz!" he summoned, selecting a potion from a belt pouch and preparing to mount up.

O-O-O

"Fool!" Taldir cursed. They had gone to great lengths to rescue Buttercup from danger but moments before, and she'd put herself back into the thick of it, surrounded by enemies. Eldarion adjusted his aim and began trying to help her again. Taldir was gesturing to the young man who'd bought scrolls from the square. They'd need all the Fireballs that he could manage to cast.

One of the giants stepped in front of the Wyrmlord Khan and swatted Buttercup out of the air with its huge club. She disappeared under a tide of Hobgoblins: all that could be seen were the repeated rises and falls of weapon strikes.

O-O-O

"Come on Boaz!" Boshley called. He didn't really know how a Potion of _Fly_ would work on his Dire Badger, but was relieved to find that his trusty mount was able to get the hang of it quickly. He lowered his lance as Boaz picked up speed, but was unable to effectively clear the enemies away from his friend. He could hear Buttercup calling out in pain, but could do nothing to help her.

O-O-O

Eldarion levelled his bow and quickly fired three arrows into the green beast that the enemy commander rode: very much like those that were bred in the ruins of Rhest. It sagged under the weight of the armoured Hobgoblin, and looked to struggle for a few moments before one of the nearby enemy Clerics reached out to heal it.

Gravak stood on a small mound of enemy corpses down in the street, arms raised and chanting. A strong gust of wind fell on the enemy, knocking the Clerics, the Wyrmlord and one of the giants to the ground, along with most of the Hobgoblins piling on to Buttercup.

Boshley turned Boaz quickly in the air, and returned to the fray, lance lowered at the remaining enemies attacking the Barbarian. He punctured two of them on the tip of his weapon, leaving Buttercup available to be rescued by Boaz, who gripped her in his claws before flying back to the rest of them.

O-O-O

"No… no… no…" Arden repeated quietly as Boaz dropped Buttercup at her feet.

She selected another scroll from the sack, and hoped it would be enough. It only took a few seconds for Buttercup's eyes to flick open, to the great relief of all that looked on.

"Never do that again!" Arden snapped at her, before grabbing more scrolls and running to see to Jaarmath, who himself was in dire need of her aid.

O-O-O

"Focus on the Razorfiend!" Gravak bellowed. Javelins and crossbow bolts clattered against the rapidly approaching beast, failing to slow it. Eldarion dropped a couple of arrows into its neck though, which had more of an effect.

Hravek Kharn swung a pick at the Mayor as his mount crashed into the line, grievously wounding Jaarmath, who could only fall back. A tremendous amount of blood flowed from underneath his armour, and the Lions of Brindol closed in around their commander, desperate to shield his life. Arden was burning through scrolls, and was already beginning to run out of spells again.

Gravak struck out with the shield on his left arm, obliterating the face of the closest Hogboblin pressing him, and carving a path towards the Wyrmlord. He struck out with his mace at Kharn's mount, feeling facial bones crack as he made contact. The beast bit back at him, Gravak wincing as he felt his armour buckle. He struck upwards with his mace, striking the beast cleanly in its throat, causing some shortness of breath. The Razorfiend reeled, coughed and gasped for air, as Gravak bought his mace down for the killing blow.

O-O-O

Kharn bellowed with fury, swiping aside the closest Lion of Brindol as he regained his feet. He levelled his pick at Gravak in a gesture of challenge to the one that had slain his mount.

Elantar dodged another spear strike; they were coming at her far too regularly, and she was having to spend too much time defending herself to be making any significant impact on the enemy. The arrival of the enemy commander at the front line had changed things, however, as the focus of all around turned on this duel between Kharn and Gravak, a space clearing around them. Elantar knew and respected Gravak's power, but he was no fighter: he was clearly outmatched if this was going to be one-on-one.

She cut down two Hobgoblins, and leapt forward, over the next one that ran at her, swatting aside its spear as she vaulted over them, landing to Kharn's flank as he swung his pick in anger at the Cleric.

Gravak sagged, a spray of gore leaking between the plates of his broken armour as he tried to raise his shield to defend himself. Kharn raised his pick for another swing.

"No you don't…" Elantar muttered as she sprang forwards, slipping a sword in underneath Kharn's defences and through the weak point in his armour. Kharn growled, sinking to his knees motionless. She thrust her second sword into his open mouth, and up through the top of his head.

O-O-O

"Gravak, fall back!" she called. The Cleric staggered to her as Buttercup and Boshley stepped forward to take his place in the line.

"This is the last healing scroll I have," Arden said to the half-Orc, brandishing it in front of him.  
"Save it," he gasped, resting a hand on her arm. "Someone way need it more."

"Please…" she muttered sardonically, and cast the spell anyway. If Gravak could see himself, there's no way he'd agree that anyone needed it more than him.

"Thanks…" he muttered, and then snapped his head up at an eruption of fire behind the enemy's front line. Taldir laughed raucously above them, and snatched up another scroll.

O-O-O

Elantar was in trouble. She'd put herself in a dangerous position to finish off the enemy commander, and was now beset by the Giants that had accompanied him. She tried her best to dodge their club swings, but had been seriously hurt, and was slowing.

Eldarion shot down the first. It had taken eight of his arrows, and he couldn't quite fire them quick enough. The Rogue fell, unarmed and barely moving, as the remaining Giant raised a foot above her.

"Taldir!" Eldarion called.

The Wizard's next fireball landed firmly in the Giants face, and it screamed in agony; screams that were cut short as it choked its last breath, toppling into the enemy hordes that were rapidly beginning to retreat. The loss of their commander, and now the Giants too, had left their morale shattered.

O-O-O

There was light in the sky. Just a little, as the sun rose, illuminating the clouds.

"I'm sure that they shouldn't be spinning," Elantar thought.

"What?" came a reply. It was one of the locals, trying to move her. She realised that she must have spoken out loud.

"The clouds…" she answered. "They shouldn't be spinning…"  
"No?" he asked.

She was sure that was right… The tall buildings on either side of her field of vision were also doing something that they shouldn't be. She was absolutely certain that houses didn't sway in the wind like that. Definitely. And clouds didn't spin.

"Don't forget my swords," she insisted, before closing her eyes.

O-O-O

"Arden!"

She snapped round at her name; almost more because she recognised the voice than anything else.

"Coralyn!" she replied, and ran to her. It was good to see her again. "We've won! They're in retreat!"

"That's great!" she answered. "I heard you might need healing support?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly. She was so pleased to see her that she'd almost forgotten that Coralyn was the most capable healer that she'd ever met. She gestured for her to follow. She had some locals with her: two dressed in the livery of Vaal's house guard, and four townsfolk, much less heavily armoured and armed only with handaxes.

"The Mayor's hurt… Gravak's in a pretty bad way… Buttercup too," she began as Coralyn followed.

She spent a minute or so with Jaarmath, seeing to his injuries.

"This is a horrible wound…" she said. "It's as if this pick was specifically designed to make the victim bleed out."

"That seems likely…" the Mayor answered. "Their warlord was wielding it. I believe Gravak took a bad hit from him too. Please Miss… see to others. I'll be fine." Coralyn nodded respectfully, and turned her attention elsewhere.

"Has Gravak been… behaving?" she asked, as they got out of Jaarmath's earshot.

"What if he hasn't?" Arden asked. "You'd let him die?"

"Arden!" she gasped. "You know I wouldn't… I'm just… I still worry about him. About all of you."

"We're fine…" she said sceptically. "He's in control." Coralyn frowned, but prepared to help the Cleric out as they reached him.

He was on his feet, with his back to them, part of a circle around somebody on the floor. It was Elantar.


	33. Chapter 33

*** XXIII ***

"How did you get here?" She sat up slowly, then paused. "How did I get here?"  
Coralyn smiled, and approached. She put a hand to Elantar's face.

"The warmth is returning to you; that's good," she said, before removing her hand, and reaching for a bottle of liquid. Elantar was in a soft bed in an almost overwhelmingly bright white room. The open window looked out over Brindol; they were at the top of a hill: she guessed from the solar motifs on most surfaces that she was somewhere inside Pelor's Temple. Light was beginning to fade in the red sky as evening drew in. She felt dull pain in her head and chest, and the light hurt her eyes.

"We were concerned for quite a while," Coralyn continued, as she began to dilute the brown liquid from the bottle. "You had a few broken ribs, and some difficulty breathing for the first hour or so. After we patched you up a little, you just slept deeply though… You must have needed it; you've been asleep all day."

"What happened with the battle?" Elantar asked. "Is it still going on?"

"The enemy are in retreat," said a new, yet familiar voice. Gravak showed himself and grinned. "Good to see you awake again." Elantar fell back on to the pillow and allowed herself a smile. It was in relief, more than anything.  
"Did everyone make it?" she asked from her prone position.  
"Well… thousands died…" Gravak replied, sounding confused.  
"You know what I mean…" Elantar responded.  
"Everyone made it," Coralyn answered for him with a sad smile.

"Here, take this," she added, holding out a small cup of the brown liquid. It didn't smell appetising.  
"What is it?" Elantar asked, wrinkling her nose.  
"It'll help you recover," Coralyn answered vaguely. Elantar shrugged and knocked back the bitter liquid. She felt invigorated within seconds, but still nursed a stubborn headache.

"I'm going to have to go, for now…" Coralyn announced as she collected some belongings together. "There are plenty of others who need my help, and most of the Clerics here didn't make it," she concluded sadly.

Elantar sat up slowly, feeling light headed as she did so. She remained silent for a few minutes, and was pleased that Gravak was happy not to speak.

"They're being routed!" came a familiar voice from just outside soon after. "What else could there possibly be to do except rebuild?"  
"We'll simply have to wait and see what Immersten says…" Taldir answered impatiently. He and Boshley reached the door just after and entered.

"Elantar! You're awake!" The Gnome called, just a little too loudly for her sore head.  
"Yes…" she answered quietly, and motioned for quiet with her hands.  
"Ha! Same as always!" Boshley responded, not lowering his volume even slightly.  
"How are you… feeling?" Taldir asked: he seemed to be questioning the phrase that he spoke almost as much as enquiring after Elantar's well-being; as if he'd once heard that it was polite to make such enquiries, but was unpractised in doing so.  
"I'll be fine…" she answered.  
"Good!" Boshley responded.

"What does Immersten want?" Gravak asked.  
"Good question!" Boshley chirped. "The Red Hand are all but destroyed, but he seems convinced that the war isn't over."  
"He'd like to see us all in a couple of hours," Taldir added.  
"Will you be up to it?" Gravak asked her.  
"We'll find out…" she replied.

Whatever Coralyn had given her, it seemed to work. Her headache, and all other pain besides, cleared up within about thirty minutes. The pain was replaced with enormous hunger, and she joined the others for a swift and simple evening meal.

"Slim pickings on food…" the Priest said apologetically. The soup that the Temple of the Sun provided was almost entirely water, but the few roots and herbs that they could get together at least added some nourishment. The Red Hand had destroyed local wheat crops, and bread was going to be scarce for the next season: they would need the trade routes to the west opened up again as soon as possible. The few days that they'd managed to postpone the invasion by destroying the bridge at Skull Gorge would perhaps prove costly in the long-run.

"So… you're not her father then?" Coralyn asked. She had had a full day providing what healing she could, but had taken some time out to try to catch up on events since they'd parted ways at Drellin's Ferry.  
"No…" Eldarion answered incredulously. Arden chuckled.  
"I have enough answers to that conundrum for now," the Bard added.

Coralyn listened on with excitement to the events of Rhest and the Thornwaste, and right through to the Battle of Brindol itself.

"It's a dangerous road you've travelled…" she observed thoughtfully. "I'm pleased that you all made it so far, but a little relieved that I stepped away when I did: I don't think I'd have coped so well with those perils."  
"Don't undersell yourself Coralyn!" Boshley insisted. "It sounds like you've faced plenty of dangers of your own, and there are several that are only alive because of you…" She blushed in response, and smiled her thanks.

"Elantar, you should take this…" Taldir exclaimed, holding up a crossbow. He'd been inspecting some of the magical items that they'd found, and making recommendations on who could use them best. Buttercup had, on his recommendation, had Wyrmlord Khan's armour refitted so that she could wear it.

"This is the weapon that the sniper in the square used?" she asked, taking it from the Wizard. He nodded in response, as he took in a spoonful of broth.  
"It is designed to work well with the sort of precision shots that you make…" Taldir explained. "Works well with poison too," he added with a whisper.  
"I see… I'll try it out next time," she responded.

"What else have I missed?" Elantar asked.  
"Elric didn't make it," Boshley answered sadly. "I've just been to visit his family: they're devastated." The Gnome hadn't been his usual cheery self over the meal: likely explained why.

O-O-O

Immersten greeted their arrival in the Mayor's command room with some enthusiasm, expressing gratitude and relief that they had all survived the demands of the previous night. Jaarmath himself was there too, and echoed the Mage's words. Ulverth, Varassa Kaal, Soranna, Tredorra Goldenbrow and Sellyria also awaited them. Besides the Mage, it was the same war council that had met before the invasion hit Brindol.

"We weren't expecting so many of you…" Arden announced as she took a seat. "When Immersten said he wanted to speak with us, I mean?" Nobody responded for a few seconds.  
"There's…" Jaarmath began. "How do we put this?" he asked to those assembled in the room.

"We need to ask more of you," Immersten said, taking charge of the conversation.  
"More?" Arden asked. "The Red Hand are in retreat… Is it not over?"  
"No…" Jaarmath answered sadly, shaking his head.  
"It's only just begun," Immersten added, standing and floating a large mirror onto the table. He spoke some words while waving his hands across it, and a mountainous landscape formed in the glass.

"Where is this that you're scrying to?" Taldir asked.  
"The Wyrmsmoke Mountains," Immersten responded. About a day north-west of the bridge across Skull Gorge that you bought down." A huge blue dragon flew across the view, and settled into a cave high in the hills. Five stone dragon heads protruded from the rock face beneath the cave, and a large and ornately decorated stone gate stood closed at the bottom.

"Azzar-Kul has made his first move," Immersten explained, "and we've seen him off."  
"First move?" Arden asked incredulously. "A full-scale invasion of Elsir Vale was an opening move?"  
"We fear so…" Jaarmath answered.  
"He sent his mortal legions to conquer Elsir Vale," Immersten continued, "but if they failed, as they have, they would act as a sacrifice to his foul god. They have opened a portal, and are summoning devils and outsiders to this location in the mountains, and must be stopped!"

Buttercup stood suddenly. She looked to Trelarra Goldenbrow, the chief Cleric of Pelor, and nodded.

"I'm goin'," she insisted. Boshley grinned, and took his feet too, looking around at the rest of his companions.  
"This is…" Arden began. "I mean… do we even know what we're facing?" she asked.  
"It doesn't matter," Gravak answered. He stood to join the others. "We need to stop this." Elantar slowly took to her feet, still wincing from her injuries, and nodded curtly to Immersten and the Mayor. Eldarion and Taldir soon followed, Sellyria frowning slightly that her son was still putting himself in danger. There was definitely pride in her expression too though.  
"Fine…" Arden added curtly, taking to her feet as well. The room looked in awe at them.

"I'm humbled by your bravery… your generosity…" Jaarmath began.  
"Save it," she snapped, cutting him off. "How do we get this done?"

"By scrying, I can give you sight of a safe location to teleport to," Immersten offered. "Gravak, I believe that you too can cast the spell?" The Cleric nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately," the Mage continued, "the portal will make such magic unreliable… We'll need to find a space a few hours away, amongst the mountains. You'll need to travel the rest of the way on foot."  
"Okay…" Arden replied. "Then what?"  
"Find your way inside the fortress…" Jaarmath answered.  
"And kill Azzar Kul…" Trelorra finished. She looked earnestly toward Buttercup as she spoke, and Arden feared that there was manipulation afoot.

"We'll need the night to rest and prepare," Taldir said.  
"Of course," Jaarmath responded.

O-O-O

"Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen."

The man finally finished counting. He'd been overly thorough with his appraisal of Gravak's gems too, despite Elantar's insistence that they were each valued at five hundred gold pieces. Still, she reflected, she'd be every bit as cautious when selling illicit items. There's no telling whom you'd be dealing with.

"Where do we find you if there's a problem?" Elantar asked.  
"What kind of problem?" he responded defensively.  
"Like the sort of problem that means someone buys a thing at a high price, but the supplier neglected to point out that the expensive thing in question doesn't do as promised?" she retorted.  
"Ha!" he scoffed. "Clever… But you don't find me. It's that simple…"  
"Not good enough…" Elantar tensed.

"It's fine…" Gravak announced. He'd been quiet for about half a minute while he whispered to himself, looking over the cloak in the brown paper package. "It's just what I asked for." The man smirked at her.  
"Good…" she nodded. "Let's get out of here."

They made for the rear entrance of the tavern, and reached it as two guards entered.  
"Gravak?" one of them asked. Elantar noticed the Orc visibly tense, and clutch the new package to himself.  
"Not subtle…" she whispered in Orcish. He coughed, a little unconvincingly.

"McColl, right? You were here the other day?" He asked. Elantar looked at the young guard. It was scarcely possible to believe that this was the same man. He looked like he'd aged about fifteen years, and wore fresh scars.  
"Yes… that's right." He answered. "I've seen a few things since then…" Gravak nodded slowly in response.

"And you're Elantar, right?" the other asked. "Slayer of the Wyrmlord?" She looked quizzically at Gravak.  
"Oh, right…" the Cleric answered. "That's something that got out while you were recovering… You've become something of a local hero."  
"Great…" she muttered under her breath.

"I can't believe it's really her!" the second guard whispered to McColl excitedly.  
"Well… we'd… better be going?" she said to Gravak.  
"Yes… we're…" he hesitated. "We have an early start," he rounded off. "Enjoy your drinks."


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Notes:** Apologies for the long gap between these last two chapters; I've struggled for both time and motivation for writing these past few months. There's a decent chance that Chapter 35 will follow before the end of October as I try to get back into writing: I am planning to take part in NaNoWriMo in November though, so things will be on hold then. I'm probably going to be writing dystopian science fiction for that, which will be quite a departure from this sort of thing, but if that interests you, there should be more about it on my long-neglected blog soon (HobbyHoss on Tumblr).

 **** XXXIV ****

Elantar was convinced that teleporting over large distances was something she would simply never get used to. Her head span as she tried to find her footing, feeling the entire world spin. Fortunately, this time, they weren't landing in an immediately hostile situation.

Taldir landed a few feet to her left seconds later, swiftly followed by Buttercup, Arden, and Eldarion. Gravak, Boshley, and Boaz were already checking their perimeter.  
"How far are we from this place?" Arden asked.  
"Immersten said it'd be a few hours to the north east," Gravak responded. Eldarion and Buttercup quickly agreed which direction this was in, and they began to set off immediately.

They were deep within the Wyrmsmoke Mountains, and the terrain was, predictably, rocky and hard going. The area was mercifully quiet though, and they had, within a couple of hours, closed with the gateway that Immersten had shown them in his mirror.

The scene was desolate: a dusty plain, broken up only by boulders, and ending abruptly at the gate itself. The entrance to the lair of the Red Hand was carved into a sheer cliff-face, where five stone dragon heads rested in perpetual roar. Elantar started at some movement high on the wall before them. From the mouth of the highest statue flew a huge blue dragon; larger even that Abiathrax, the red drake that had terrorised the skies above Brindol.

O-O-O

The team approached the wall with practiced ease, Boshley leading the charge from the back of Boaz. They had agreed that drawing the Dragon to them would give them the best chance at success. In Brindol, they had the advantage of being mounted on giant owls to match the red dragon for height, but here, they were reliant on it swooping to within their weapon ranges. Boshley made as loud a distraction as he could, while Taldir followed, poised to fling his web spells at it.

The other two Elves began to climb; Eldarion quickly scaling the cliff face, seeking a good vantage point from which to shoot. Elantar leapt onto the lowest of the stone dragons, and began to sprint up its neck.

O-O-O

Gravak drove his horse onward, with Arden and Buttercup either side of him. The Bard fired up her flute, which the Dragon did not fail to notice. Buttercup stood in her stirrups, brandishing her great sword and bellowing a war cry in challenge. With the Dragon swooping directly for them, Gravak threw up a protective spell to shield himself and his closest allies.

O-O-O

"Too far!" Taldir called, as loud as he could, after the Orcs. They had taken the Dragon in the wrong direction, far beyond the range where he could force it to the ground. The Wizard muttered in frustration, and turned his horse in their direction. It would simply be their own fault if they got themselves killed.

The monster dived at them, blue lighting flying about it, and then towards his allies. Arden managed to steer her horse sideways, avoiding the brunt of the attack, while a glow surrounded the Cleric, keeping him safe. Buttercup's raised sword seemed to attract the bolts to her, and she roared in pain as smoke rose from her outstretched arm.

Arrows flew at the dragon from the cliff face. Looking for their source, Taldir could see that Eldarion had reached a level surface; perched on top of one of the stone dragon necks, and was reloading for another shot. The blue dragon reared in pain, and flapped its wings, sending strong air currents down at those beneath him. Arden toppled from her horse, her flute falling silent, as Buttercup and Gravak struggled to remain upright. The Dragon made directly for the wall, where Eldarion lined up another shot.

O-O-O

Patiently, Elantar waited for the Dragon to approach. She cradled the new crossbow that she had picked up in Brindol, eager to try it out. The monster soared, and then glided down, directly towards Eldarion, who was desperately loosing shots at it. She waited until it exposed its fleshy section; just above its armoured scales, and beneath the right wing, and then let loose. She cursed under her breath as her bolt went low, bouncing harmlessly from the dragon's hard underbelly. This new weapon was going to take some getting used to.

O-O-O

Eldarion leapt aside as the Dragon flew head-first into the cliff face, crumbling the wall that he had previously been standing in front of. He'd managed to stick four or five arrows into its neck as it closed with him, but he hadn't managed to slow it sufficiently. He clung now, desperately, and with one hand, to a protruding rock, just under the carved stone dragon that he'd been previously been standing on top of. His other hand still held his bow, and he was torn between dropping it, and falling himself, before he managed to flip it back and over his shoulder, freeing up his left hand to find another hold.

The Dragon leapt again from the cliff face, scanning the ground for his body, but not finding it. Eldarion hung just out of its sight, and steadied himself against the cliff face.

Below, his companions were regrouping, and making their way towards the gate. Boshley was brandishing his lance in challenge, Buttercup joining him with sword outstretched. Arden, Gravak, and Taldir were all just behind them. The Dragon roared, and made in their direction.

O-O-O

It was heading right at them, and Arden shuddered again. She didn't know how she kept getting into these situations: riding across a desert, hoping that a Dragon was going to attack them? This was exactly the sort of thing that she didn't want to be happening to her.

"Hold its gaze!" Taldir commanded, as he peeled off to the left. They had cobbled together some sort of plan to knock it out of the air, but it involved, despite her protestations, Arden acting as part of the bait. She was grateful, at least, that Buttercup was in front of her, and was about to take the worst of the Dragon's impact. She readied a healing spell.

O-O-O

It kicked up a lot of dust as it hit the floor, and Boshley had to guess at a safe place to swerve to. It felt almost as if Boaz made the decision for him. The Dire Badger's vision was not his strongest attribute, but other senses more than made up for this. As the dust began to clear, he saw it laid out and immobile: shining blue scales, wrapped firmly in thick grey webs. He plunged his lance into its flank, tearing a huge chunk of flesh from it as he rode past. Buttercup and the others had also avoided its crash landing, and she dismounted on the far side, beginning to put her sword to use.

O-O-O

"Hold on!" she called. Eldarion looked up to see Elantar securing a rope to the cliff face, just above him. He was convinced he'd be able to get to safety on his own, but this would make things a little quicker. He grasped for the line that she threw him, letting it take his weight as he swung clear from his previous spot.

Taldir had just bought the Dragon to the ground beneath them, and it was now at the mercy of Buttercup and Boshley. Immobile as it was, it didn't have long to live. He grasped Elantar's outstretched hand, and joined her on the stone neck where she stood. He nodded his thanks.

"Think it's done for?" she asked.  
"Yeah…" he responded, stowing his bow safely away. She stood impassive, but seemed to agree. Probably.  
"I'm going to go look at its nest," she said, gesturing above, to where the highest stone dragon lay, open-mouthed. "See if there's a way in through it," she added.

She checked her equipment was safely secured, and found the nearest hand holds.  
"Coming?" she asked.

O-O-O

Taldir could only watch on as the others put down the Dragon. He could have hurt it, of course, but he knew he'd need to save his spells for whatever awaited them once they got inside.

"There's something quite sad about all this…" Arden suggested, as Buttercup ended the Dragon's life with one final sword swing.  
"Sad?" Taldir asked.  
"Yeah…" she offered in return. "Dragons are pretty noble beasts… Hugely dangerous and murderous, obviously… but still…"

"We had to kill it to survive," Gravak responded, joining them, and putting away his mace.  
"I know…" she said reluctantly. She didn't know a thing, he decided with a smirk.

"Where are the other two?" Boshley asked between deep breaths.  
"Up there," Taldir replied, pointing toward the highest dragon statue. He cast a flight spell on himself, and began to float. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes," he announced, and then ascended.

* * *

"Good, you're here," was how Elantar greeted him when he arrived in the cave mouth. It was, possibly, the nicest thing she'd ever said to him. "Take a look at this stuff will you?" she added, gesturing to an assorted pile of equipment, before turning her attention to the walls of the cave, feeling every bump in an attempt to find any secrets that the walls held.

Taldir immediately attempted to find what, if anything, in the dragon's nest was magical. He quickly separated what he found into two piles: things that were magical, and therefore interesting, and mundane items that were potentially merely valuable.

"What is it you look for?" Eldarion asked. Taldir poised to answer, before he realised that the question was not aimed at him.  
"You need to have a good feel for how natural stonework forms," Elantar answered lazily. "Once you do, it becomes pretty simple to find something out of place." Taldir rolled his eyes, and quickly scanned the walls: if they held any secrets at all, they weren't magical in nature. He'd let her discover that herself though.

"You're identifying all that now?" Eldarion asked. This time, the question was addressed to him. He peered back out of the dragon's mouth, and down to the ground. Arden was healing the wounds that had been suffered, and the others were resting. This whole section of the mountains had fallen quiet since the Dragon's death, and this was probably the safest they were going to be for a long while.

"Are you hurt?" he asked the Ranger.  
"A little…" he responded.  
"Get down to Arden," he suggested firmly. "We won't be long… Take as much of this with you as you can," he added, gesturing to the pile of coins, gems, and a hefty golden statue of Tiamat that resembled the huge carving of the cliffs where they stood.

"Oh, and this cloak," he insisted just before Eldarion left. "It''ll protect you a little more effectively than the one you're wearing.

O-O-O

Taldir had spent several minutes looking over the various magical items in the cave, before returning to the ground with as much as he could carry – timing it just right so that he could float back down with his load. Elantar filled her pack with as much as it would take, and climbed back down, much slower.

She was disappointed not to find a hidden entrance to the inside of the complex, but joined everyone else at the main door at ground level, where she unburdened herself of some heavier items, passing them on to those able to carry more.

"There's something magical about this door," Taldir said as he tucked away a new wand that he had claimed from the dragon's stash. "A decent chance that it's trapped, or alarmed." He was right – Elantar could see the tell-tale glowing runes, and some more primitive push plates. This was going to be a tricky gate to crack.

Elantar took out her pouch of pins, blades, magnifying lenses, and levering tools, as well as a small mirror, and began to examine the details of the gate. "Stay alert," she suggested. "There's no telling who might be behind this door."

"Nnnghn!" she yelped, as a small lightning bolt singed her hand. She quickly stepped back, and then sideways, as frost, fire, and acid attacks all fired from different parts of the door. She yanked off her glove, and shook her hand before sucking at the burn to try cooling it. The skin began to blister, and stung painfully until Arden touched a fingertip gingerly to it with a wince, erasing the burn from her and removing the pain.

She tried again, this time setting off a different trigger, and taking the full force of a frost blast into her upper left leg, after dodging lightning and fire attacks; the two acid blast that accompanied them missed as she twisted away from them. She gritted her teeth, and tried again, concentrating harder through the discomfort as Arden once again removed the pain from her. Finally, after a few careful minutes, she altered the runes enough to make the door safe to open, without provoking it into any more magical attacks.

The stone gate swung inwards with a deep creek.

"We'll need light," Elantar announced, turning to the others.


End file.
